Illegal Aliens
by Meepa
Summary: Well it's finally happened. Yami, Mariku, and Bakura...are aliens. And they are sent to a 'new planet' to try to fit in with these 'humans' and try to find out more about them, hopefully bringing one or more back with them for studies. YY, BR, MM.
1. The Very Much Unboring Day

1This is based off of a dream I had a while ago. Yami, Bakura and Mariku are...aliens. On some planet. And they are sent to Earth. :o ...I'm so unoriginal... Teh 'Lora said it was my muse speaking to me though, so... Mwahaha. I actually wrote something. But anyways...onto the boring shtuff.

Disclaimer: ...Dis-claim-er. 'Dis' meaning not. So nyah.

**.: Chapter one - The Very Much Unboring Day :.**

'What a nice day,' he thought, taking a small gulp of the warm liquid that reigned the cup he held, as he moved into a more relaxing position in his mesh-covered chair. Lazily, his blood-tinted eyes closed, dark lashes covering them from sight. 'So peaceful...' he added, admiring the silence of the room, other than the low humming of electronics. 'I wish more days were like thi--' but before he could finish this thought, a loud buzzing noise shredded through his serene atmosphere. Eyes flashed open sharply, as a surprised and slightly worried look graced his face.

"Oh no... Please no. Not today. Not on my day off..." he trailed off, voice going slightly hysterical. In some more focused part of his mind, he knew he was overreacting slightly. Then common sense hit him, and he realized that he _wasn't_. He was _under_reacting, in fact. This fear was only further enforced by the screen that blinked on above the speaker that kept emanating the annoying sound.

"Hey Yami! Guess who?" came a singsong voice from the monitor speaker. A fluff of wheat-schemed hair appeared around a tanned face, violet eyes right up to the screen, an insane gleam flickering off them.

Suddenly, that face was gone, and another replaced it. "Hey, Yami! We know you're up there!" came a different voice, this one more sanded down than the other's. His brown eyes were sharper, and more focused, as well. White hair fluttered around the pale face, almost as if it hadn't been brushed.

And as instantly as it had jumped into the screen's view, it disappeared, being replaced by the first one. "We're hungry, too! You'd better have picked up some more food! We _are _growing boys after all!"

A pale hand shot up, grabbing the sandy yellow hair, causing a squeak from its owner. The said hand then pushed the tanned being out of view again. "I wasn't done, you ass!" he exclaimed, voice taking on a dark edge. The figure then turned back to the screen; "And you'd better entertain us! We're bored as--"

A tanned blur obscured the screen, folding around a fist-full of white hair, yanking it back. "You're the ass! You interrupted me too! And you–!" The words after this could no longer be labeled as 'coherent'; insults being screamed at one another, jumbled images bounced across the screen; hair, feet, fists and many other body parts being thrown about in wild-like flailing. The fight ensued.

Yami, whose hair seemed to have fallen slightly out of place, was now rocking back and forth, arms wrapped tightly around knees, the glass he had been drinking out of now laying on the soaked carpet at his feet. "Why? Why can't I have a few hours of peace? Of silence? Of SANITY?" he murmured to himself, hands fisting into his hair, still rocking himself to help keep his mind calm. No. He had to be the mature one of the group. He had to be the adult. He had to--

"You damnable, _Ethe-hle_ forsaken, mother-fucking--!"

...He had to get out of here.

But his exit was blocked! They were at the door! ...The window! Maybe he could jump out of the window! It would be risky, but he'd heard of people doing it. There were stories of crazed beings leaping from their homes and surviving. He could do it too! "Oh, what am I thinking?" he mumbled, hand now rubbing at his face. "Only fools jump from windows on the _twentieth_ level of housing..." he continued, now ignoring the sounds of the brawl. "I need to think clearly... The faster I let them in, the faster they will leave..."

_CRASH!_

"You fucking asshole, I should--!"

"...Or maybe I should just call security."

The buzzer, which served as a doorbell, went off again. And again. And again.

Growling under his breath, Yami got up from his position, face scrunching as his foot hit the now cooled liquid that was covering his carpet. "Great," he muttered, then overstepped the puddle, heading towards the door.

Flipping the white switch next to it, the hard, steel-plated doors slid into the wall, revealing the two Althasians, who were sprawled out on the floor, both holding the other's hair in their hands tightly, while teeth were sunk into flesh.

Yami stared. Not in a surprised way. Oh no, he was in no way surprised by the two's actions. But he stared. Stared at them in a bored, 'I've seen this one too many times' way. "Will you two stop your bickering and get inside? I don't want to have security called on me _again_ because you two are fighting in the public hallway." he said, and turned, walking back into his residence, leaving the doorway wide open for them to enter.

Bakura unlatched his mouth from the tanned male's arm as Mariku let the other's leg go. Both were scratched up, a few blood spots here and there, but nothing critical. The fight forgotten, Mariku stood up, causing Bakura to fall off of him, landing with a dull 'thud!' on the plush hallway floor.

"Bastard!" he yelped, grabbing and biting his friend's leg harshly.

Yami, who was leaning against the wall by the door, just sighed. He was tired of them fighting all the time like that. Although, if they didn't fight constantly, they wouldn't be Bakura and Mariku... Sighing again, he pushed himself regally off the wall, and flipped the switch next to him down, turning away and heading back to his favorite chair, door closing behind him.

---

"Did you wet the floor? I thought you were housetrained, by now, Yami," Bakura asked, watching as the spiky-haired man scrubbed at the carpet, attempting to force the wet spot away.

Yami bristled at the comment and turned, glaring at the two figures that were now making themselves quit at home. Bakura, who was sitting lazily, sprawled out over his couch, was grinning at him, knowing he was pissing the other man off.

Mariku on the other hand had taken it upon himself to go raid the food supply. Clattering and tapping could be heard from inside the kitchen facility, but neither dared to see what the blonde was up to.

"Shut up, _alha-thiy_. This was _your_ fault in the first place!" Yami spat out, glaring

This pulled a laugh out of the white-haired one. "Scared the piss right out of you, huh?" And this statement was followed by much laughing.

Yami, who was trying to restrain himself from possibly maiming the other, was just seething, not trusting his mouth to say something that wouldn't start a war. "Since this is your fault, _you_ should be the one cleaning it up." he said, trying to be as calm as he could at the moment.

"Yeah, I _should_," Bakura agreed, but did not move from his position.

Sighing again, Yami shook his head. "You're impossible."

"But that's why you love me," the other said, grinning at the crimson-eyed male.

Yami rolled his eyes, shaking his head, turning back to the task he had been doing. Suddenly, a corn-flower head popped into the room, a slab of green-tinted meat hanging halfway out of his mouth. "Whu...?" he asked as well as one can with anything clogging up their entire mouth.

Yami, who noticed Mariku, blinked, then his eyes widened, and he stood up, pointing an accusing finger at the blonde. "That's my special meat! Put it back right now, you disgusting vermin!" he shouted, and ran over to the other, grabbing the said item, and pulling on it, trying to take it back.

Mariku grinned and let it go, causing Yami to stumble backwards, the latter having not expected the fight to be over so quickly. "It's all yours, your highness," Mariku taunted, bowing, grin still sewn onto his features.

Yami, who was suspicious, lifted up the meat and looked at it, face quickly curling in disgust. "You're sick," he grumbled, and threw the meat, which was dripping with phlegm and saliva, back at the other.

Mariku grinned, holding the green cut of meat and slipped it back into his mouth, seeming quite pleased with himself.

Bakura, who was still sprawled out on the chair, shook his head. "You are disgusting. Why I put up with you, I'm not sure." And he was suddenly jumped from behind.

"It's 'cause you love me!" Mariku cried, hugging the white-haired male tightly, depriving him of air. The meat lay forgotten on the floor, next to an extremely mortified Yami.

"My... my carpet..." he stuttered dumbly, body shaking and his right eyes twitching up slightly.

Meanwhile, Bakura was sitting with his arms crossed, looking quite cheesed off. Seeing as how the tanned blonde was hugging him tightly, drooling into his hair, one could see why. Finally, with a final muscle spasm under his eye, Bakura turned and swatted at Mariku, missing completely, though causing the other to let go and jump back. "Your aim sucks." he said, blinking down at the pale being now standing in front of him.

"I'll show you whose aim sucks!"

And on came the carnage.

Something akin to hyperventilation could be heard over the shouting. "My... beautiful... carpet..." Finally, he glared, spinning and turning on the fight scene. "That's _IT_!" he screamed, leaping at the ball of limbs, tackling both of them, and pinning both to the ground with his knees. "You morons ruined my carpet!" he shouted, grabbing the front of each of their shirts, shaking them harshly.

_Crunch_.

"...Um, ow," Yami muttered out, blinking blankly. Down below, Mariku had the short prince's fist enveloped inside his mouth. Once again he looked to be quite proud. Eyelid twitching once more, Yami glanced down. "If it wouldn't be _too _much trouble for you to withhold your animal instincts for three seconds..."

Mariku just looked up, large eyes shimmering with innocence, though he still held Yami's hand captive. The very look he wore made everyone around him want to barf. The prince growled, letting go of Bakura, and tugging on his fist, attempting to get it free. After straining and possibly pulling a few muscles in his back, Yami seethed, now standing on Mariku's chest, pulling on his hand with his free arm.

Mariku still refused to budge.

"Get. Off." the spiky-haired one ground out, glaring daggers at the blonde one beneath him. While this was happening, Bakura, finding all this funny, took a seat on the couch to watch, kicking the forgotten meat out of the way, leaving a thick smear behind.

Mariku refused to let up though, grabbing hold of Yami's wrist with his hands, holding tightly.

While watching this, Bakura put his feet up, getting more comfortable. This was always fun.

"Oh, for the love of everything pure and honorable, _GET OFF OF ME_!"

...Very fun.

---

Close to an hour passed before Mariku finally let go, leaving Yami to wrap his hand, where there were imprinted fang marks. And really, he only let go once the screen blinked on, alerting them to a message. Actually, not even when it started; after the message alarm had been going off for several minutes was when he let go. Bakura had grown irritated from the sound and had gotten up and kicked the damnable thing, turning it on, and played the message.

An old man, with a wrinkled face and graying hair appeared before them, his cold blue eyes boring into whoever was looking into them. "Yami, if you're there, then you'll want to get down here immediately. And bring those two spazzes with you. I have a mission for you three." And with that, the screen blinked out, leaving the three in silence. Bakura looked slightly ecstatic to have something to do, while Yami was looking around for his first aid kit, so he could look presentable for his boss. Mariku, on the other hand, had gone back to sniffing the greenish meat, which now had little bits of carpet-hair sticking up from it. Deciding it was still good, he bit down, picking it up with his mouth, and walking back into the kitchen, going unnoticed by the other two in the room.

"At least now I've got something to do," Bakura mumbled, running a hand through his hair and turning only to find the meat and Mariku missing in action. "Um..." Hearing several unmentionable noises come from the kitchen, he decided it was best just not to ask.

Yami finally stood up, holding up his newly wrapped fist proudly. "Fear not, for I am a master at first-aid!" he proclaimed, blinking once noticing there was only one person in the room. Bakura was standing all by his lonesome, a blank expression resting upon his face, arm outstretched and pointing to the kitchen. Yami frowned, walking forward, peeking his head in, his eyes widening when he saw Mariku. "Oh, for the love of _Ethe-hle_! You animal!" he yelped, backing up, hand over his mouth. He would have continued backing up, had ne not suddenly slipped in something, falling straight on his backside. Growling, he leaned up, rubbing his back, eyes closed. After opening them, he glanced down, noticing a thick, off-green smear in front of him.

"What the...?"

Bakura slowly stepped out of the room, hands behind his back innocently.

There followed the most unruly, horrified scream, which caused people several housings down to open their doors in wonder.

---

"Yami, Bakura, and Mariku, reporting for duty, sir," the spiky-haired prince stated, standing straight, hand over his chest in a form of respect, though the said hand was wrapped numerous times in white cloth. Bakura, who was standing to the left of Yami, had his arms crossed, leaning his weight on one leg, looking overall bored. Mariku, who was to the left of Bakura, was chewing on something, its tail hanging limply out of the tanned male's mouth as he gnawed absentmindedly.

"Good of you to take your time, as usual," came the gruff voice of the leader of their organization. Yami's shoulders sagged, face drooping, knowing it was useless to try to back himself up. After clearing his throat, the older man leaned his arms down on his desk, shifting in his seat. "Well boys," he began, looking at each one of them, making eye contact. "Now, I know ever single person on this field, and I have chosen you three for this extremely important mission. You three have the guts, the brains and the brawns to stand up to this. Mariku... spit that out," he paused, raising an eyebrow at the tanned male.

Mariku stared back, donning a look which was meant to be interpreted as, "I have not the slightest clue of what thou hath spoken!" He slurped in suddenly, sucking the snake-like tail into his mouth, and then going back to his idle chewing. Turning his head to the side, he saw Bakura glaring at him, looking like he was standing with a bunch of idiots, while Yami looked slightly disturbed. Turning back, he saw the elder eyeing at him expectantly. His only answer was a shrug, before gulping down whatever creature was doomed to the retched demise of his seemingly steel-plated stomach.

Silence wafted about the room for several moments before the leader cleared his throat loudly. "As I was saying... You three make up a good team of brawns, brains, and will power to complete this mission successfully." After steepling his fingers, he continued. "As you know, the planet we discovered several time periods ago, if you will recall, is much more complicated than we had previously thought," he explained, watching the three carefully.

"It does contain life forms, as we suspected, since the planetary formation seemed to have made it suitable for such. But," he paused, letting the sentence sink in, "the life is not what we had thought it to be," he finished, pushing back his chair and standing up, tapping his fingers against what appeared to be nothing more than air. Several synthetic bleeps were heard, and then an image flickered before becoming solid before their eyes. The blurred image held that of a normal boy, wearing a baseball cap backwards and riding a bicycle through what seemed to be a park. After hearing the reaction from the three, which were sharp gasps, he turned, pointing to the male in the picture. "This is what inhabits the new planet; beings which look incredibly like ourselves!" he exclaimed, swooping his hand across the three Althasians in front of him, emphasizing his point. "But the more observations we have made, the more we have noticed how little life seems to mean to them." Suddenly another image replaced the previous, this one being a man holding a gun, firing it upon a woman, who looked to be in quite a lot of pain, blood spurting around the puncture of the bullet. Yami's face scrunched into a distasteful, horrified expression, body reeling back slightly. Even Bakura and Mariku were fazed by the image, having to avert their eyes from the bloody scene.

"Now, you three have been placed in a position where you are to go to that planet, and try to blend in with those creatures, and hopefully learn what has caused them such corruption. Also, study their culture; find out their language and their basic way of life. And if possible, bring one, or preferably more, back with you, so we may have better, closer observations. Our recorders can only help us so much," he added, shaking his head.

Swallowing hard, Yami stepped forward, with less enthusiasm than he had earlier. "Sir...? When will this mission begin?" the prince asked wearily.

Turning his back to the three, the leader folded his hands behind his back, looking out the window in his office at the vast city below. "Your mission begins tomorrow. Pack lightly, and be here to meet your transportation before sunrise. Oh, and say goodbye to any loved ones; you'll be gone quite a while."

Exiting the office, Yami turned, leaning against the wall, heaving a shaky sigh. "Well, this is just great," he muttered, rubbing his forehead.

Bakura was second to walk out, slouched over, Mariku having jumped on his back before leaving, wrapping his arms around the pale one's neck and gripping his thin waist with his strong, tanned legs. Grumbling, Bakura pushed himself against the wall, attempting to get Mariku off, but failing miserably. He mumbled something incoherent, sliding down the wall so he was sitting next the Yami. Instead of moving, the violet-eyed male decided to preen the tangle-infested silver locks, combing them with his fingers happily. Though looking quite annoyed, Bakura did nothing to stop him.

After sighing once more, Yami looked up, staring straight ahead. "I have the feeling this is going to be a long, _long_ trip..."

**.: Chapter end :.**

I wrote something. GASP! Anyways, first chapter, tell me whatcha think. Good, bad or ugly. I will hopefully have the next chapter out soon. :)

-Cecilia


	2. Mission statement

**.:Chapter two - Mission statement:.**

"...and I could be sleeping in my bed right now, happy and warm and having dreams about..." Blinking, deep brown orbs looking thoughtful, the voice continued, "Well...Dreaming period!" he finished, grumbling about how heavy his bag was.

"Shut up, Bakura. You think I want to be up at this hour?" Yami asked irritably, walking regally in front of the near-albino. "And you were supposed to pack lightly," he added, turning to glare over his shoulder.

"First off, this IS lightly!" the pale being exclaimed, holding up his bag, which had several rather large lumps filtering around from inside it. "And secondly, you woke up a while ago, so you could do your primping!" he accused, and then growled, sounding much like an angry cat, warning its attacker before the strike.

Yami whirled, pointing his finger, annoyed, at the taller Althasian. "I don't 'primp', I was trying to make myself look presentable!" he countered, sighing and turning back around. He started walking again, hearing the footsteps behind him, signaling the others were following. Suddenly, he was tackled, letting out an undignified yelp as a certain blonde sat proudly on his back.

"I win, I win," Mariku sung, rocking back and forth, smiling giddily. And if that wasn't bad enough, he then leaned down, nuzzling the prince's 'primped up' hair with his face, rubbing it out of position.

"What is wrong with you!" Yami screamed, throwing the taller male off of him, hands going up to his hair, trying to sort out the mess. "I had it perfect!" he continued, having dropped his luggage, now obsessed with his hair.

"That's just his way of showing his love," Bakura said, smirking. Torturing Yami was oh-so much fun... "ACK!" he cried, as he was hit by a tanned blur, being knocked to the ground.

"Yes! And Mariku shows his love for Ba-Ra now!" the blonde chirped, lying on top of the white-haired male, practically wagging his tail. If he had one, of course. But this fact didn't stop him from licking Bakura's face like a dog.

Yami turned, seeing the site, and then stopped fussing over his hair, now almost pitying the pale Althasian. "May Ethe-hle save you, Bakura." he mumbled, shaking his head sadly, as though he just witnessed his comrade being struck down in battle. Picking up his things, he continued walking toward the large building they were to assemble at.

---

"And once again, you remain faithful to your intent upon being late," drawled the bored voice of their leader. "And I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I was HOPING for more than this," he continued, glaring at the three's appearance.

Yami's hair was frizzing out in every imaginable angle, looking irritated at the fact that things never seemed to be his fault, but he got blamed for them anyway. Next to him was a very harassed looking Bakura, his hair sticking up on one side, where it was spiked up with dried spittle. Even further, standing next to the pale boy, was Mariku, who was sucking on his busted lip (which Bakura was nursing his fist from), was standing as if he'd done nothing wrong. He had an expression of a puppy that had been kicked, looking quite pathetic. One would almost think HE had been the one who was on the receiving end of everything. And if that wasn't enough... they were all covered in dirt.

Sighing, the old man rubbed his temples. "Fix yourselves up a bit before you head off." He waved his hand at them, turning. "Look decent, at least," he added, walking towards the automatic door. He suddenly glanced at them over his shoulder. "And when you're ready, you know what to do." he finished, pointing to a contraption that looked much like an elevator, a table with several instruments spread out across it. He opened the door with a push of a button, and exited the room. "Good luck" was the last thing he said before the door shut behind him.

Yami blinked, eye twitching. "Why," he began, sounding quite upset. "Must you both always ruin my life?" he seemed almost pleading at the end of that sentence. He then started rubbing his hair, trying to put it back the way it had been when he had left his housing complex. Meanwhile, Bakura remained where he was, glaring, grumbling something about needing a wet rag, and trying to ignore Mariku, who was wrapped around his leg tightly, nuzzling his knee.

"Do you really think we'll fit in with those... things?" the white-haired being suddenly spoke up, glancing over at Yami, who seemed to have gotten most of his hair sorted out. The prince blinked back at him, bloody red eyes thoughtful.

"Well, our species do look incredibly alike... I believe we can pull it off." he replied, giving one last stroke to his hair.

"Well, if they're as crazy as Leader Mono says they are, then this thing should fit right in." Bakura muttered, trying to shake the tanned male off of him. But Mariku just gripped tighter, whining against the leg.

"It's disrespectful to call our leader by a nickname, you know," Yami pointed out, dusting off his outfit, which was a black, skin-fitting shirt and long black pants, complete with shiny boots in the same color. Buckles peppered along the boots and shirt, giving them a unique look. Bakura and Mariku were wearing much of the same thing, only Bakura's shirt looked more...torn. And without the buckles. He hated buckles. They were 'too damn hard' to UNbuckle. But this was only because he had little to no patience, so he tended to tear them in half before getting them off, claiming the poor deceased thing started it. Mariku's had complex-looking zippers in place of the buckles. How he ever figured those out was beyond the other two, but some things were just best left unasked.

"But his name's too freaking long to say!" Bakura answered, grunting as he tried to disentangle the blonde from him. "Get off, Mariku!" he shouted, pushing the other down his leg.

"No! Baku-Baku being mean!" he wailed, clinging tighter, and sunk his teeth through the pale one's pants, hooking himself there. Bakura froze, muscles locked in awkward positions, and his left eye twitched up. Yami wearily backed up, intending to get away from the soon-to-be fight scene.

"Get. Your. Fucking. Teeth. Out. Of. My. Leg..." he growled, hissing like a snake, bearing his fangs at the other.

"Uh-uh!" Mariku refused, shaking his head as best he could with his mouth being attached to something at the moment.

"Ow!" Bakura yelped, falling to the ground, kicking his legs violently. "You little--!"

Never one to change their ways, the two once again engaged in combat.

Sighing and raking a hand through his hair, Yami shook his head, walking over to the small table, picking up the little earpiece. "Guys, please, we really have to get serious..." he said, voice quiet. Mariku and Bakura blinked over at him, latched around each other, nails dug into flesh and tearing at clothes and hair. Silently, they both let go of the other, standing up on their feet, slowly, a blank look on each of their faces (though Mariku looked more excited than anything else). Bakura started walking forward, holding tight to Mariku's wrist and pulling him along like a child. Finally stopping in front of the table, next to Yami (and hauling the blonde up beside them), he reached out a pale hand, and took two of the small electronics as well, lifting it up, and hooking one into his ear, and the other on his throat, under his chin, Yami doing the same. He looked over to tell Mariku to do what they were doing, when he saw the tanned male grinning at him, the chips already set up on his body.

'...That was odd. But who am I to judge?' Shrugging it off, he turned to the short prince, straightening out his shirt for a final time. "You ready?" he asked, looking directly into those deep bloody eyes.

Yami gave a solemn nod, tilting his head towards the machine next to them. It did, indeed, resemble an elevator, only... standing by its lonesome in the middle of the room. Closing his eyes, and giving a final sigh, he stepped forward, only stopping when he was inside, moving aside to make room for the other two. He watched them both silently through his slanted eyes, still gazing when all three were fully inside the contraption. The pale and dark skinned Althasian stared back at him, Bakura nodding once, and Mariku looking strangely calm and serious.

"Better hope Mono-Leader programmed that thing correctly, or we'll wind up floating around in space," Bakura laughed, though it wasn't filled with much humor.

Yami glared at him, kicking him slightly in the leg. The white-haired male growled and glowered at the shorter one, as if he were about to rip him apart. The prince only scoffed; "Behave," he chided, as if reprimanding a child. The pale one just pouted and looked away.

The spiky-haired male slowly reached out a hand, seeming somewhat reluctant. He heaved a sigh, and was about to flip the switch that would turn on the machine. And he would have, had a tanned hand not stopped him. Yami looked up, seeing two cloudy, violet eyes staring back at him. The paler one blinked, then blinked again. "Yes, Mariku...?"

The taller male just kept the stony expression, not moving in anyway, still grasping the shorter's hand. "Can I push the button?" he asked, sounding like a child.

Both Yami and Bakura almost fell over at the request. "Uh, sure..." the prince said, moving to the side slightly. "You know how to, right?" he added, attempting to make sure the other knew what he was doing and wasn't about to kill them all.

The blonde nodded curtly before pushing the smaller male out of the way, grinning insanely and flicking the switch up, turning on the power. Next, he pulled open a small box, with a keypad in it. His fingers lightly traced down it, causing Yami and Bakura to gasp. If he touched a button on there, it would screw up the whole thing! But he didn't, he just laughed at the two and then moved his hand further, his thumb mashing in a small cylinder about the size of half of a dime. He let out something akin to a cackle at what he'd done, as though it amused him highly. "I pushed the button!" he cheered, clapping his hands together.

Yami sighed. "Yes... you did." ...wait... "Why isn't anything happening?" he asked, blinking. "Mariku, what did you do!" But the said being only blinked back innocently at him, tilting his head.

"Why, Mariku did nothing... nothing-nothing, he says!" He even shook his head for good measure.

Bakura was about to add his two cents, when suddenly, the thing started shaking heavily, causing him to fall over, on top of Yami, landing in a compromising position. Mariku giggled, having held onto the railing on the wall. They all three were enveloped in a bright light, before suddenly...they were gone, luggage and all.

---

Mariku sat cross-legged, happily swaying back and forth, watching the two in front of him. They'd made it to the planet, apparently (though they'd landed in an alley between two red-bricked buildings), but that wasn't the majorities' main concern right now...

"I got your hair in my mouth!" Yami raged, scratching at his tongue, while Bakura glared. "Do you know how disgusting it is, to have someone's unwashed hair in your mouth!" he continued, throwing his hands to the heavens.

"Hey--I wash my hair, thank you!" the pale Althasian retorted, pointing a finger at the shorter one.

"When was the last time you did!"

"...Well, you're hair's not that good-tasting either!"

Mariku threw his head back, causing him to fall and land on his back as he listened to the argument. He blinked when he saw a small creature walk by. It had large eyes and ears, and fur covering it's whole body. It also had whiskers and a long, thin tail. The tanned male frowned, curiosity sparkling in his eyes. He slowly turned on his stomach and started crawling towards it, watching as it licked itself. When he was finally in front of the small thing, he sat down, imitating the animal and began licking his hand, before slicking it back over his hair, just as the one before him did.

"You're just avoiding the ques...tion..." Yami trailed off as he noticed Mariku, who was currently (and happily) preening himself, fitting in fine with the small thing in front of him. Bakura turned and watched the scene as well, blinking.

"That freak," he trailed off, shaking his head.

"And you're one to talk?"

"Shut it, you!"

Mariku was now able to drown out the fight completely, only focusing on what had captured his interest. The thing looked up and blinked at him with its large, green eyes. "Mrow?"

"Meow!" Mariku answered, grinning. He reached for it and picked it up, petting its head gently, causing the creature to start purring contentedly. "Yami! I wanna keep it!" he yelled over his shoulder, holding up the animal up, showing it off. It was orange with white spots, and black paws and tail. "I'll name it, uh..." he blinked, looking up as though in thought. Suddenly he gasped. "I'll name it Princess!" he exclaimed, hugging the thing close. Bakura's eyes wandered downwards, and made a face.

"Whatever that thing is, it's a boy, Mariku..."

"Mariku knows! That is why Princess is what his name shall be!"

Suddenly, a quick scream was heard, and all three heads snapped up at the voice, Yami rushing to the entrance of the alley. He frowned, and then made a sign for Bakura to follow, since Mariku was too busy with his new friend, "Princess."

"Looks like a fight," he commented, watched the scene. There were six or seven people standing near a tree, in the small park only a few feet away, all wearing black. The short prince frowned, and was about to say something else on the subject, when he saw something move out of the corner of his eye. Turning, he saw Mariku walking towards the scene, new pet and all. "Mariku!" he exclaimed, eyes widening. What was he doing!

Finally, the dark-skinned Althasian reached the scene, tilting his head to the side, cuddling the animal in his arms. "Why are you hurting those kids?" he asked, curious.

All of the people seemed to be incredibly shocked. The tallest, burliest one, replied in a shout, something the alien couldn't understand in the slightest. Aside from the violent tone of voice, he also got a finger pointed in his direction. Mariku frowned and leaned forward, chomping down hard on the other's hand. This earned him a shriek and a fist to the head, but fortunately, the blonde had incredible fast reflexes, and dodged, still holding the fluffy ball in his arms. "Mariku doesn't know what you said, but he doesn't like the way you said it!" he replied, glaring. He looked the guy straight in the eyes and hissed at him, causing this thing against his chest to do the same. Suddenly, Mariku growled, sounding like a beast, and bared his teeth, his fangs showing. Letting his little buddy fall from his hold, he hunched over, as though he were about to pounce. The three tallest guys glanced quickly at each other, looking uneasy, and mumbled something, before backing off and walking away, one shouting something over his shoulder. They continued to shuffle off, their demeanor not looking like an overall happy one.

The blonde grinned, straightening up as if nothing had happened. "Mariku is a good attack-creature!" he chimed, clasping his hands together, before looking at the three that remained. He blinked, staring down at them, all three being at least half a foot, if not more, shorter than him. He leaned down, examining them, in which they moved back a few steps, huddling together. But who could really blame them? There was obviously a psychopath standing in front of them, eyeing them closely, possibly before he went in for the kill. And the one the said psychopath was currently staring in the eyes had light violet ones and bleach-blonde locks falling down into his face, plus a dark complexion (though he was somewhat lighter than Mariku). But he had lots of dark stuff around his eyes and strange markings underneath them. Standing next to him was a dumbfounded albino-like boy, looking very confused and slightly fearful. And next to that one was a boy who had hair that resembled a star. A tri-colored star, at that. A very short star, with huge gray-violet eyes, bigger than Princess'!

The tanned one, who resembled him slightly, said something under his voice, but it went in one ear and out the other for the slightly insane being. Mariku tilted his head, blinking, before leaning in and sniffing him, grabbing the other's shirt. This caused the boy to shout, and try to push him off. But if that wasn't enough, the Althasian moved his face forward, licking a trail up the side of the boy's face.

The scream that followed that action was surely heard for four blocks or more.

**.:Chapter end:.**

...Yeah. Heh, sorry, the last half of this was kinda rushed... I'll prolly come back and revise it later, but I just really wanted to get this out. Hope you enjoy, and thanks for the wait! And before I'm done, I would seriously like to thank everyone who reviewed--it's you guys who inspire me to write!

-Cecilia


	3. A Happy Outing

**.:Chapter three - A Happy Outing:.**

It was no time before Yami and Bakura were behind Mariku, who was only blinking at the boy in front of him, who was wiping his face and screaming things that could only have been obscenities.

"Mariku--try _thinking_ before you do something stupid!" Yami spat, smacking the older male upside his head. The tanned being turned, glaring down at the prince.

"Like I said, it's his way of showing love," Bakura said, waving it off. Hey, he thought it was funny. He blinked when something hissed, looking down. It was that...thing Mariku had taken in and named... "What's wrong with you?" he asked, kicking at the animal, trying to get it to go away.

The creature had other plans though, and attacked his leg, causing him to scream and fall over, trying to rip it off of him. "What is it with things attacking my leg!" he cried, grabbing at Princess, who just snapped his hand.

"Leave him alone!" Mariku whined, pushing past Yami and picking up the small fluff-ball, cuddling it close as it glared at Bakura. "Princess no like you," he said, sticking out his tongue, cradling the animal to his chest lovingly. Yami sighed, and raked his hand through his hair, trying to calm down. The three, poor boys were still there, only... trying to hold back the blonde one. He shrugged and pointed to their translators.

"We should probably try to see if these can tell us what all their gibberish means," he said, tapping the part on his ear. "Though, it does sound slightly familiar." he added, twisting something here and there. Finally, he was able to catch a few words of what the children were saying;

"But he...LICKED...disgusting!" But unfortunately, that was all of the conversation he could understand. Yami frowned, but he was somewhat pleased.

"Bakura, Mariku! Set your translators to number six--it seems these beings speak a language slightly close to our cousins on the planet around the second sun," he said, setting his throat-piece now. Turning to the three he smiled. "I am sorry for my friend," he apologized, bowing slightly. The boys blinked at him, looking confused.

Finally, the white-haired one stepped forward, looking somewhat flustered. "Uh, you...speak...do you?" he asked Yami frowned and pressed something in his ear again, while his two counterparts beside him changed their own.

"Pardon?" he asked, testing this one out. Hopefully it could be more efficient...

This time the shortest one piped in. "Are you alright?" he asked, frowning.

Bingo.

"Actually, number seven's better," he said, casting a side-glance at the other two, who nodded and complied, Mariku struggling slightly between holding his little furry friend, and readjusting his equipment. Yami turned back and noticed the uneasy, and highly confused looks he was getting. "Sorry," he started, "Problem with translations," he laughed slightly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Are you guys body modifiers?" the shortest one asked again, tilting his head, frowning (though he looked somewhat embarrassed).

All three blinked, having heard this. "Um..."

The young boy blushed, and fidgeted. "Well, all I meant was, you...um...you look different," he said, going back to his feet. "I mean, I think it's cool and all, but...getting your ears like that had to have hurt, right?" he continued, looking up, meeting Yami's bloody gaze.

The taller blinked, and then lifted a hand to his ear, feeling its usual sharpened appearance. His red orbs moved to the boy's in front of him, and then widened slightly. They weren't the same... Apparently the beings that lived on this planet had flattened ears... not pointed ones. This meant that they didn't hear as accurately... 'How strange,' he thought, 'These beings are so... obsolete. How have they survived themselves?'

"Not as much as you'd think, no..." Yami bluffed, dropping his hand. He hoped this lie would suffice for now--he didn't particularly want them to get caught.

"So, where the hell are we?" snapped Bakura, who was standing once more, his leg spurting a few droplets of blood every now and then. He looked quite pissed, and edgy. Of course he had reason to be...but still.

Yami kicked him again in the leg, causing the other to yelp and lunge for the prince. And he would have succeeded in mauling him, if Mariku hadn't interjected, leaping and tackling the white-haired male, sitting proudly on his stomach. "I win again!" he cheered, picking up his pet, which had walked up to him and nudged the blonde's leg with its head.

"Um...Anyway, my name is Yami," he said, tilting his head slightly in a polite bow. "The angry one is Bakura, and the insane one is Mariku... and I apologize for any harm he might have caused you," he directed the last part at the tanned boy, who was glaring at the one holding the animal.

"Why does he carry that thing around?" he asked, crossing his arms, rubbing his cheek against his shoulder, trying to wipe the remaining spit off.

Yami blinked. "The furry thing?"

"The cat, yes,"

"...Um...no reason."

"...Nevermind."

This time, it was the frail-looking pale boy who spoke up. "Um...Thank you," he said, eyeing the tanned Althasian. Mariku blinked and tilted his head. "You saved us," he started, and then seeing the look of utter confusion, he continued, "From those guys, I mean... Thanks,"

"Don't thank him, Ryou," snapped the boy at his side, violet eyes flashing. "I could have fought them off, and you know it!" he hissed under his breath. The shorter one, Ryou, ducked his head slightly, and was about to reply, when the smallest one beat him to it.

"Well, you didn't, and _he_ did. Regardless of whether he...licked you or not, he did. And you should thank him, too," he said, nodding and crossing his own arms.

"As I've said, you'll have to excuse anything he does," Yami said, butting into the conversation. "He's just..." he paused, trying to think up an appropriate word. "Strange."

"Anyway, that one's Malik," said the star-haired boy, pointing to his aggravated friend, who only stuck up his nose and turned his head away. "This is Ryou," the pale-haired boy smiled and waved politely. "And I'm Yuugi." he finished, pointing to his own chest.

"Very nice to meet you Yuugi," Yami said, eyeing the boy's hair. "Tell me," he began, frowning slightly. "Is your hair natural?"

"Yes, strangely enough." he boy laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "Take one look at my Grampa and it'll tell you that," he added, blinking his large, grayish eyes up at the other.

"Um..." Ryou blinked, looking a bit unsure, "Do they always...um...do that?" he asked, referring to the two who were on top of each other, biting and clawing.

All stared for a few seconds, before Yami slowly nodded. "Unfortunately," he trailed off, before letting out a sigh. "You wouldn't mind telling us where we are, would you? I'm afraid we're new here..."

"Well, right now you're in Domino city park, in Japan...but you knew that much, right? I mean it's kinda hard to be in a state and not know what it is..." Yuugi frowned, as if thinking, but then shook it off, laughing slightly in a nervous manner. "But...Um... since you're new, do you need any help finding your way around town?" he asked, smiling brightly.

The short prince chuckled slightly. "So kind," he observed, folding his arms. "If you wouldn't find it too much trouble," he trailed off, tilting his own head. Japan, eh? That didn't really help him at all... but at least it was something.

He idly noted that the blonde boy was still glaring at all three of them, as though he knew something was wrong. This made Yami sweat a little under his collar, though he didn't look it. The child wouldn't actually be able to tell they weren't from there, right? Well, planet-wise... it didn't seem like this species took very kindly to off-planeters... And not to mention their technology sucked.

"Of course! I know my way around pretty well," Yuugi said, puffing out his chest slightly, seeming proud. This act made the prince want to chuckle. Of course, he could tell there were good things about this species as well.

"Look, if you're done trying to court the midget," came the snappy voice of the pale Althasian. Yami turned and glared, face heating up.

"You know very well I wasn't 'courting'" he replied, ready to kick Bakura again at any moment Blinking at the sudden silence he received from the three to his side, he turned, noting their somewhat shocked appearance, and Yuugi's hot-looking face. The boy laughed it off, though, as though trying not to say anything.

"I'm short, I know," he mumbled quietly to the white-haired alien, before looking down, face flushed.

And at this moment, Bakura let out a yelp as he was kicked sharply by Yuugi's taller look-a-like. "If you say one more thing, Bakura..." he trailed off, threatening.

"Damn you!" the other cried, holding his knee. "I need my legs to fucking WALK!"

Mariku, unbeknownst to the rest, had moved and was now standing behind Malik. But oh, boy, did the smaller know this when he felt breath on his neck that made his hair stand on end. "You smell nice," the crazed one purred, grabbing Malik and pulling him back against his chest. "Smell like food," he said, moving to lick the other once more, but Malik, apparently, had all he could stand.

In less that three seconds, Mariku was sitting on the ground with a bruised cheek, looking more hurt than a puppy that had been left alone in a box on the side of a road. He whined in his throat, and lifted a hand to his face, as if he were about to cry, eyes watering. "Ma-Mariku sorry," he said quietly, sniffing.

This site pulled at Malik's chest, and made him feel almost guilty, though he didn't show it. "You're sick," he muttered, glaring. Ryou suddenly pulled on his arm, eyes looking worried.

"You shouldn't do that Malik," he said, voice hushed to a quiet whisper. He pulled the taller in closer. "What if he's...ya know..." he trailed off, looking uncomfortable. This struck the tanner boy and he blinked, suddenly feeling a little guilty. He knew what the pale boy was implying, and now that he thought about it, Mariku did seem slightly...off. Maybe he was...er...retarded.

"Look, just don't go licking me aga--" he started his apology, though was cut off when he felt something wrap around his waist and twitched, looking down at the alien. Mariku was currently making himself at home, nuzzling the other's side affectionately, as if trying to make amends.

Meanwhile, Bakura was still having problems with his leg. Frankly, he didn't care if the three freakish them-looking things thought Mariku was stupid. He didn't care if they thought Yami was stupid. Hell, he didn't even care if they thought he was stupid. Because, well...he just didn't care. Still rubbing his knee, he mumbled obscenities under his breath, glaring at everything that moved. But a few things were coherent enough to hear, such as; 'fucking prince, kicking my leg, who does he think he is...' and several others of the like.

Yami was watching the whole thing in some shock--he hadn't seen Mariku act so pathetic in quite a while. He looked to see Yuugi's questioning stare, and he smiled somewhat nervously. "Mariku, he's...a bit off in the head," he answered, shrugging. What really was there to say?

Nodding, Yuugi prayed his discomfort didn't show. "So...um... There's several good restaurants around here," he trailed off, hoping the others would catch his drift. "And it is almost lunch-time," he added, after his stomach growled a little. Hey, he was a growing boy, after all!

Yami nodded quickly, looking to Bakura. He could only conclude that 'lunch' was a mealtime, and that a restaurant was somewhere to get the nutritions needed. "Are you hungry, Bakura?" he asked, attempting to ignore the blatant glare he was receiving.

"Yeah, food sounds good. But, oh, wait...I _can't fucking walk to get there_!" And with this, he threw something at the shorter male, possibly a rock, which Yami just dodged out of the way of.

"Don't you start this," the prince growled, glaring. He felt something and looking down, seeing Mariku's new -- um... cat, was it? -- pawing at his leg. "What?" he asked, blinking down at the creature. Princess, though, apparently didn't like Yami's tone of voice, and proved this by from there using his leg as a scratching post.

Poor Ryou and Yuugi were the only two who had nothing really attacking or paining them at the moment, and could only stare, as Yami and the cat dueled it out over the short prince's precious pants.

---

"Wonderful!" Mariku cried, shoving the rest of what could only be seen as a blur into his mouth. "Mariku wants more! Here-food is good!" he continued, reaching for another slice.

"Heh, I'm pretty fond of pizza myself," Yuugi said, taking a smaller bite than the other. "But... I still think hamburgers are better," he grinned, going in for another mouthful.

Ryou laughed slightly, poking at his own food. "You and hamburgers, Yuugi..." he trailed off, shaking his head. He knew quite well by now that his small friend could very well eat almost his weight in the stuff.

To the pale boy's right, Malik made a face. "That's disgusting," he muttered, going back to his own meal, which was an entirely different type pizza. The others had all assortments of things on it, while his was rather plain. And smaller, since it was meant for just him. "How can you both eat that stuff?" he complained, mouth full.

Ryou thumped his friend on the arm. "Table manners, please," he scolded, though he was smiling. "And just because you detest meat doesn't mean we have to. We put up with you, so you should show us the same consideration."

Yuugi nodded idly while going in for another slice.

On the opposite side of the table, Bakura stared at the food, giving it his infamous "death glare o' doom". He didn't trust it one bit. Next to him, Yami was listening to the conversation curiously.

"Do you not eat meat?" he asked Malik, who only stared at him, an eyebrow cocked.

"That would be the definition of vegetarian." he retorted bluntly, voice monotone. Sighing, he went back to his pizza, leaving Yami to blink.

"But..._why_?" he asked, not understanding.

Ryou shrugged. "Malik's just stubborn like that," he smiled, eyeing the other. This caused the blonde to elbow him slightly.

"It's part of my culture, so you can shut your mouth, Femmi-boi," he said, grinning as Ryou bristled at the nickname.

"An eye for an eye," said Yuugi plainly, laughing lightly, before going back to his food.

Meanwhile, Mariku had wolfed down almost an entire pizza on his own. And Bakura still didn't trust the food.

After their little lunch escapade, the three started showing the newcomers around town, mainly things like the park, the high school, and a few stores. They got some attention, thanks to their choice of clothing and unusual appearance, but none seemed to care all that much. Bakura was his normal pissy self, and Mariku thought the whole thing was rather funny.

Ryou had suggested the music store, seeing as how he was quite fond of sitting alone with his CDs at hand. Not really caring too much, Yuugi and Malik agreed, while the Althasians were in awe of the sites around them. This planet was a lot better than it seemed from far away.

While Malik was bending over, sifting idly through the discount CD rack, his new archenemy came up silently being him. Grinning, Mariku grabbed the smaller boy's hips and leaned over, moving himself on the smaller male.

All Malik could do for the moment, was freeze, eyes wide... Was...was he being...!

Turning, he saw to it that Mariku learn to leave him the hell alone.

---

A whole three minutes and seven thousand, five hundred yen worth of breakings later, the six found themselves on the curb outside, waiting for either the city bus or an idea of what to do now.

"Nice going Malik," Ryou mumbled, face in his hands. "Now the owner's probably never gonna let us go in there again!"

"It wasn't my fault! That -- that _FREAK_ started _humping_ me!" Malik cried, flailing his arms to help show just how furious he was. "It's disgusting enough being LICKED! But _HUMPED_! And by another _GUY_ to top it all off!"

"Malik, shut up and sit down. You're causing a scene," Yuugi muttered boredly, staring straight ahead. There were a few people who had stopped to watch this, but moved on quickly, not wanting to be caught staring.

Yami was listening to all this in confusion. Turning his head to the three boys, he asked; "What are your traditions on mating?" he inquired curiously.

Ryou blinked and turned to gawk at him in wonder. "Um... _what_?"

Yuugi cocked his head. "Um... Mating...?" he asked, almost not sure if he really wanted to know.

The prince nodded, trying to brush off the odd looks he was getting. "Yes, mating. Mating as in couplings, lovers, soul-mates..." he trailed off, not really knowing that many other words to use as a synonym for "mate".

Yuugi understood what the other meant a little better now, but was still highly confused. "Uh...it's girl-guy, if you were asking that..." he said with much uncertainty. Where were these guys from, anyways? And _surely_ they knew that much...right?

Ryou coughed awkwardly, looking down. Well, Yuugi certainly wasn't talking about _him_... of course, that was his, er... skeleton in his closet, if you will. Only he knew of this little black secret, and he liked to keep it that way.

Malik glared. "Don't tell me to shut up!" he hissed at his small, gray-eyed friend, before he pouted and sat down next to his other friend.

Bakura was leaning up against a lamppost, arms crossed and head down, hair covering his face. "You're all acting stupid," he said, tone bored. He had been listening the whole time, and found it quite unusual that these beings didn't take up a mate of the same gender. To him, it all seemed incredibly unnatural. 'Stupid things... don't even know what they're doing.'

Mariku was sitting on the ground, playing sadly with a pebble. "I want my Princess," he whined, squatting, arms wrapped around his knees. "He's lonely without me," he continued, sniffling.

Yami sighed, and rubbed his forehead. "Might as well go back and get him... There's nothing else to do right now." he mumbled, looking tired out from the day. He suddenly blinked, glancing around at the others. "Well, if it's alright with all of you, that is," he added, eyeing everyone.

Yuugi frowned and shrugged. "Who's 'Princess'?" he asked curiously.

"Mariku's cat," Bakura said, looking up for the first time in a while. "Now let's just go now, before it gets dark or something," he said, eyes moving up to the sky, which was beginning to turn a beautiful shade of orange in the distance.

The rest of the group agreed (if not somewhat awkwardly), with Mariku skipping away in the lead, singing something about cabbages or something, and Malik staying as far away as he could from the other, grumbling under his breath.

And so, they made their way into the sunset, in search of Mariku's Princess.

**.:Chapter end:.**

...I hope you're happy with how much quicker this came out. I am SO sorry this sucks, but I'm literally about to pass out...and I can't see straight, so spelling errors, and what-not shall be fixed tomorrow, or some time in the near future...

Thanks for the reviews, and I hope you enjoy! (The more I get, the happier I am. :D)

-Cecilia


	4. Small Problems

**.:Chapter four - Small Problems:.**

Mariku dashed off, seeing his precious pet under the same tree he'd left him. "Princess!" he cried, throwing his arms out, and lunging at the poor feline. It lifted its head and moved back some, so it wouldn't get crushed by the large male, and then let Mariku pick him up, cuddling the small animal to his chest lovingly.

Ryou and Yuugi both thought the site was rather cute, if not slightly disturbing at how excited the tanned being was to see the cat. Malik, on the other hand, still thought Mariku was stupid.

Bakura informed Yami that they'd left all of their luggage in that alley they appeared in at first, and the short prince realized that the other was right. Together, they slunk away, and left to check on their things.

Low and behold -- it was all gone. Both stood, aghast at the sight. Someone had...stolen their clothing! And equipment! And every thing else they had on them! 'Beings of this planet have no sense of morality!' thought Yami, in shock, mouth hanging open. Bakura, next to him, was furious, and showing it. In his rage, he turned and kicked over some metal cylinder filled with all kinds of foul-smelling things. He screamed, ripping at his hair. "The bastards!" he cried to the sky, panting. Slowly he slid to the ground, resting against the wall.

Just then, Yuugi came jogging up, along with Ryou and Malik following close behind, wondering what the shout was about. Mariku came walking into view a few seconds later, holding his little friend like a child holds a toy; the cat's arms splayed out in front, since he was being held up by his armpits, and feet dangling. Princess meowed mournfully, blinking up at the group.

"What is wrong, short prince-man?" the tanned Althasian asked, tilting his head curiously.

"All of our stuff's been stolen, Mariku!" Yami said, fisting his hands into his hair at the sides of his head. "It's gone! We have nothing!"

Mariku gasped. "They took Blankie!" he screamed, looking horrified.

"..."

With that, the others chose not to reply. Yuugi stepped forward, looking worried. "All of your stuff's gone? Where'd you leave it?" he asked, frowning.

"Well, we left our things here..." Yami explained, gesturing to the empty alleyway.

Yuugi, Ryou and Malik exchanged glances. "You're not serious, are you?" the tanned one asked, tone unbelieving. "If you did, you're incredibly stupid--you can't just leave your things out in the open and expect them _NOT_ to get stolen!" he spat, fuming. These newcomers were just getting weirder and stupider by the moment, in his view.

Bakura turned, eyes absolutely smoldering in his rage. "Your species knows nothing! Do not speak to me as though you are the higher power! You know NOTHING." he hissed, body trembling. Oh, he was _mad_.

Malik was taken aback at how fierce the other was, and had quite a look of shock on his face. That soon melted into stony confusion, however, and his scrutinizing gaze returned. "Species?" he asked, frowning until his face was slightly distorted. "Just _where_ are you from, anyway?"

The white-haired one was about to reply, when Yami held him back with his hand. Bakura glared at him, ready to snap at the other, but the prince just met his stare, his own eyes burning. "Now's not the time for you to get in a rut, one of your fights, over worldly possessions," he said quietly. This shut the other up--he was too angry to say anything else. So he just simply stood against the wall, his arms crossed, and glaring off at anything that happened to move in his line of vision.

Mariku watched all this in silence, his face expressionless. He listened to every word said, eyeing the way the two looked, and moved. Despite how he acted normally, right now his eyes shone with intelligence, and wisdom, which was quite uncommon from his usual insanity. He shifted Princess in his arms, cuddling the cat lovingly, burying his face in the other's furry head. He didn't like it when Bakura got like that. It scared him--he didn't know if he would lose his friend or not.

"I think you're all crazy..." Malik trailed off, snorting. "Let's just leave these guys here, and go home," he said, this time to his friends. Yuugi looked at him incredulously, and Ryou looked nervous.

"Malik!" the short boy exclaimed, "You're such an ass! I'm not going to leave them like this--even if they ARE strangers! They don't have anything right now, and they're new to this place!" Ryou nodded slightly behind him, eyes sorrowful.

Malik blinked, almost not believing this. His mouth was hanging open slightly, trying to find his words. After a few seconds of it flopping around, he finally shut it, his jaw locking in place. "Well, have fun, then." he said coldly, turning his back and starting to walk away. "I'm going home. If you're dead by tomorrow, I won't have to say I told you so...but I did." And with that, he was gone.

Ryou looked incredibly hurt by his friend's words, and Yuugi, who stood next to him, looked angry. "Jerk," he muttered, before turning back to the others. "I'm sorry about him..." he said quietly, noting out of the corner of his eye, how Mariku, who was on his side, watched the other go. In the background, thunder rumbled softly, warning everyone of the upcoming shower.

"Great," the short one went on, looking up. The evening sky was now littered with black clouds, making it look as dark as night, and way too soon. The pale, frail-looking teen looked shaken, and worried.

"You don't have anywhere to stay, do you?" he asked, fidgeting with his shirt. This day was going downwards from the happy one it had once been, and _fast_. He watched as Yami stared up at the sky in something akin to awe.

"Is this rain?" he asked, a fresh smell wafting into his nose. He closed his eyes, and let his senses absorb this. They had a controlled environment on Althastrus, but there was one distinct memory that stuck in his mind. He couldn't have been more than a few years old, his mom holding the small boy to her bosom, smiling and chattering to him as though he could understand everything she said. The small prince was hanging onto every word his mother uttered, eyes shining, though he didn't understand some of it. Oh, how curious everything was! Then, suddenly, a drop of cool water fell on his small, chubby face. Yami blinked up, large eyes widening slightly. His mother, however, answered without him asking. She explained to him that it was rain, and that it cleansed the world of dirt, and made it clean again. That was the only time he'd seen it, but that was also before they moved to Althastrus.

Opening his eyes, the short prince saw that he was in the present, not with his mother. He heard Bakura made a sound like a grunt to his side, and also saw how Ryou was watching the said male. He smiled slightly, watching the sight. If it hadn't been for what Yuugi said about males going for females, he'd of thought that the species was closer to theirs than he thought. But apparently this race had their own beliefs.

"No," came the answer from Bakura's mouth, after several long moments of silence with nothing but the sound of rumbling in the distance.

Looking slightly worried, Yuugi stepped forward. "You don't have any money at all to stay somewhere, either?" Hey, he might have just met these people a few hours ago, but no one deserved to be out in the rain without a place to sleep! 'Even Malik, despite how he's acting...' Yuugi added as an afterthought. He knew his friend to be temperamental at times, but that was just who he was.

A small wet droplet hit Ryou's nose, and he squeaked slightly, flinching from the sudden contact. Afterwards though, he wondered if he'd been touched at all. Lifting a hand to his face, he realized that it was, indeed, water. "Yuugi," he said quietly, looking to his friend.

Nodding, the smaller boy looked at the three, somewhat uneasy. "Well...I know we don't known each other very well," he began, lifting his eyes to lock with Yami's. "But... Grampa has a spare bedroom, and... well, I can take two at most, but... Well, just for the night, until you get a place to stay, at least," he rambled, making motions with his hands.

Yami blinked, slightly shocked. This child was so different from his tanned friend... He smiled reassuringly at the small boy. "That would be lovely," he said, pocketing his hands.

But this still left a problem. Ryou looked back and forth between the people in their group, eyes darting about shiftily. "But, Yuugi..." he asked, tugging on the other's shirt sleeve. "What about them?" he asked, indicating to Mariku and Bakura with his eyes and head. The tri-hair-colored boy blinked, looking at the two as well.

"Um... You have room, right?" he asked, smiling nervously. The paler one blanched, blinking dumbly at the question.

"W-what!" he asked, voice really worried now. "Yuugi--my father's not home!" he whispered under his breath, looking nervously over at Bakura and Mariku. "He'll be gone for another week!"

"Exactly! He won't need to know they stayed over!" the other persuaded, nudging him into a descision. Seeing the desperate look on Ryou's face, he continued; "And it'll only be for one night! Tomorrow, we'll find a place for them to stay for a while, okay?" he urged, hoping the other two wouldn't have to be crammed in with him.

"Yuugi..." Ryou whined, shoulders slouching; "We don't even know them! We just met today--they could be serial killers for all we know!" trailing off, he suddenly felt somewhat guilty for saying that. Okay--he felt _really_ guilty. But...it could be true... right? Remembering his mother's words; 'Do to others as you want done to you,' and 'Always give others the benefit of the doubt,' Ryou looked down. "I'll... I'll see what I can do," he mumbled, trying to ignore Yuugi's eyes lighting up in delight.

"It's settled, then." the small boy stated, turning around to face the group. "Yami, you'll be staying with Grampa and me, and you two--you'll be staying with Ryou." he nodded, placing his hands on his hips with those last words. From behind him, Ryou had an incredulous look on his face, clearly asking every entity he knew; 'What have I done...?'

---

Yuugi was now safe at home, with Yami in tow, having already explained everything to his grandfather, and gaining the old man's approval on the subject. Ryou, however, lived in an apartment complex quite a while from Yuugi's shop, so he, Mariku and Bakura were still walking along, trying to get to the next bus stop before it started raining.

Currently though, it was only sprinkling lightly on them, though the white-haired teen was sure it would lead to something much more than just that, taking the loud and almost constant thundering bangs and flashes of light into consideration. He sighed, holding his hand over his eyes to keep the small amount of water out. Bakura had been quite hesitant to stay with anything on this planet, though he knew Ryou couldn't hurt him even if he wanted to. Yami told him he was just being stubborn. Psh!--like he cared.

Mariku had his shirt unzipped slightly, a rather large bulge hanging down on his stomach. Out popped a small head, wide eyes glancing around warily, though happily. Princess was quite dry from his spot inside the large male's clothing; and warm, too, seeing as how he was pressed up against the other's soft skin. He showed his contentment by purring loudly, staying where he was. Mariku just kept smiling in a brain-dead way, as if he didn't even notice the rain, though he was holding his tongue out to catch the falling water.

Finally getting to a bench, Ryou plopped down, heaving yet another sigh, not even looking up at the other two, who came to a stop a few feet from him. "I really don't know if the bus is going to come within five minutes, so you might want to sit down," he explained, pulling his light blue jacket closer. It was starting to get cool outside; the wind picking up a crisp feel from wherever it was traveling from. Letting out a small shiver, he curled in closer to himself.

Mariku sat down heavily next to him, hugging the feline in his shirt lovingly. He reached down in there and started scratching the animal gently, hearing the purring get louder. Ryou eyed this out of the corner of his eye. 'Maybe they aren't _so_ bad...' After chancing a glance up at the white-haired one, he gulped. 'Or maybe they are...'

Bakura was currently giving him a glare that could tear down a building with sheer contact alone. It sent shivers down Ryou's spine, forcing him to look away. He didn't like Bakura at all, and right now he was such a scary person to be around, he wasn't sure if he'd make it home! 'And yet, I've been suckered into letting him stay with me for a whole night... I'm never letting him in my apartment again after they leave...If I'm still alive, that is.'

"Baku-Baku scares young Baku-lookalike." Mariku explained, looking up at his friend. The said male snorted and kicked at the tanned one, baring his fangs.

"You shut up," he hissed, folding his arms over his chest. Mariku had dodged the attack and stuck his tongue out at him.

"Baku-Baku is mean! No wonder the little one scared of him. Mariku would be too, if he was not stronger than Baku-meanie." He giggled afterwards, dodging another swipe at him. "See? Baku-meanie!"

And from there, came another one of their fights. Princess was tired of all the movement and leapt from Mariku's shirt, jumping up on the seat next to Ryou and curling up, beginning to clean himself in...er... certain areas. That smallest boy smiled slightly, reaching out to scratch the creature under its chin, when suddenly, Princess spat at him, hissing. Ryou jerked his hand back in surprise, blinking down at the thing. He'd never done any mean thing to a pet in his life, and yet this creature acts as though he's a horrible animal-beater! Scowling, Ryou crossed his arms and replied that he didn't really want to pet the filthy ally-cat anyhow. The said cat, in turn, clawed the boy on the arm, causing him to squeak and move away. "Evil thing!" he accused, pointing. He held his arm, a burning pain pulsing through it. Taking his hand away, he could clearly see blood on his fingers. That thing had ripped his jacket!

Mariku ran over and picked up his lovable feline and cuddled him to his chest. "Princess did a bad thing!" he said, rocking the animal in his arms. "No hurt nice Baku-lookalike!" Princess, as though he could understand, looked down, almost as if he was guilty. Ryou watched all of this in wonder, blinking when the cat was set down, and slowly walked up to him, rubbing its head against the boy's pant leg in apology.

"Er..." was the only thing Ryou could possibly think to say. "You're forgiven...?" he said, feeling quite awkward talking to a cat. Princess 'mrowed' his little happy tune, and started clawing at the boy's leg harshly, causing the white-haired boy to yelp in surprise and pain.

"Hey, do you need a ride, or not?" came the stern and demanding voice from behind the small threesome. Ryou turned, now holding his leg up in the air with his hand, and blinked curiously at the man. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he blushed.

"Oh! Yes, so sorry," he said quickly, bowing. He turned and motioned for the other two to follow him. He quickly jogged over the few feet and lifted himself up onto the bus steps, digging in his pocket to make sure he had enough. Smiling when he realized he did, he looked around for a seat. His face fell when he saw there was barely any, and some of the people were even standing, holding onto the railing lined around on the ceiling. Sighing, he spared a glance over at his back, to make sure the others were following him, when he realized that only Mariku was there. Frowning, he lightly moved Mariku out of the way, gracing himself with a quiet; "Excuse me," and got off the bus, shoulders once more slumping at the site.

"Please Bakura, if you want a place to stay, get on the bus," he said, quite intimidated by the taller male. Bakura just kept staring at him, until finally, he pushed by the smaller boy, getting onto the bus. Ryou stumbled back slightly, shocked, then shook it off, and climbed on once more. "There's not many places to sit," he explained, glancing up at the two as the driver got back on, and closed the door, starting up the bus, not waiting for them to get prepared. Mariku giggled quietly, causing Ryou to look back at him curiously while reaching up to grab hold of the bar so he would keep from falling. He gaped, when he noticed the large lump in the other's shirt once more.

"Mariku!" he hissed quietly, several people watching the scene curiously, others either not hearing or caring. "You can't bring a _cat_ onto a public bus!"

Now _this_ made a few people look up at the small group. Mariku just giggled all the more, waving the small teen off. Bakura glared and smacked the other on the back of the head, causing the tanned one to whimper and whine, and make quite a fuss. Ryou's face heated up. If he'd a known that the two would be so much trouble, he wouldn't have taken them home via public transportation. It'd be much better walking through the rain, than to live through them. Deciding it would be best; Ryou moved a few steps away, looking as though he had no idea who the two were.

After the few minutes and several stops through living hell, it was finally Ryou's stop -- only a few blocks from his apartment. He got off, paying the driver for the three of them, not looking back this time. It was pouring down rain now, soaking them all to the bone (save Princess), though Ryou just continued to walk on, his face downwards to the ground. _'Why is it always me...?_' Hearing footsteps behind him, he knew the two were following along, silently. The silent part shocked him, but he didn't show it...Though, it was kind of hard to tell they were, in fact, being quiet, what with the thunder and all. The three trudged to the small boy's building, the two Althasians following obediently behind the human, Mariku still holding his pet close, keeping him warm and dry.

After several flights of stairs (the elevator was broken), Ryou and his new companions were at his doorstep, dripping puddles onto the floor and waiting, while the host was having a rather large fight with his keys, in which he was losing...badly. Finally, he managed to jangle the lock open, and the door swung in after a kick or two. Turning, Ryou let out a small bout of nervous laughter, rubbing the back of his head. "Well...um... welcome to your one-night home." was all he got said before Mariku dashed in, shaking himself dry, and letting his cat out, before scavenging everything in the room. Bakura followed more gracefully, shoes squishing against the carpet, and Ryou once again wondered why he even bothered cleaning the place up.

**.:Chapter end:.**

:D I hope you guys enjoyed:) And I hope you had a happy holiday, too. X3 I know I did! Time off from school! w00t!

Oh, and I know Ryou doesn't live with his dad, but... meh. It's an AU...deal with it.

-Cecilia


	5. A Very Showery Night

Oh, and I'd like to thank Molly-chan the Anime/Game fan, and Karimaru (I do the same thing! XD) specifically. Molly-chan for pointing out a type-o ("...Ryou doesn't like with his dad," I mean LIVE. XD I've fixed it now, but I'm so sorry if I confused anyone!), and Karimaru-chan for giving me an idea! XD Thank you both so much!

**.:Chapter five - A Very Showery Night :.**

Yami was sitting on soft, worn-out old couch, looking around at the small, homey room. The air was warm and cozy, and he was quite thankful they'd gotten there in time to avoid the shower, though Yami stayed at the window, watching it for a while. An old man hobbled into the room, smiling and holding two glass cups in his hands. There was a pleasant smell that wafted up from them, and it made Yami cock his head. Sugoroku set the mugs down, letting out a sound as he straightened up and popped his back. "There you go -- some nice warm cocoa." he said, sighing and plopping down into a comfortable looking armchair.

"Co...coa?" the prince asked, tilting his head. He leaned forward and saw the steaming brown liquid, and inhaled, smiling at the smell of it. "I've never heard of such a thing, though it smells wonderful."

The older man laughed, smiling, and aged eyes crinkling. "Such a strange one, you are...Where did you say you were from?"

Yami glanced up, holding the cup now. He blinked; "I didn't say, but it's a long story..." he trailed off, leaning in to sniff the drink once more. It seemed far too warm to gulp down just yet.

Yuugi suddenly burst into the room, having changed into his nightclothes, consisting of baby blue, long-sleeved, long-panted pajamas, with little yellow moons and stars on them. He bounced up onto the couch next to his grandfather, and greeted him with a hug, and wave to Yami. He suddenly gasped. "Cocoa!" and got up, making his way to the kitchen. Yami laughed, as did the older man, both finding the small teen's antics cute.

"You're grandson's very energetic," he commented, finally chancing a sip of the chocolately substance. His eyes lit up in delight and he swallowed down the rest of it fairly quick. "This _is_ delicious!" he chimed, reliving those three wondrous seconds of pure bliss before he'd drunk it all.

Yuugi came back in, smiling and holding his very own cup, with some lines drawn on it. Yami frowned. "What is that?" he asked, pointing to the markings. Yuugi blinked and then lifted the mug so he could see it.

"Oh, that's kanji... it says 'Mutou Yuugi'." he explained, sitting back down next to his only grandfather. "Jounouchi-kun made it for me, though he has horrible handwriting..." with this, he laughed. "But he meant well...and he's a good friend." With this, Yuugi began to lift the cup to his mouth, inches away from experiencing his favorite cold-whether drink.

"Yuugi!" came a shout from downstairs. In a millisecond, the small boy groaned and looked mournfully at his drink, before setting it down and getting up, darting to the stairs.

"What is it, mom!" he called back, making his way downstairs and into the Kame Game Shop. As he disappeared from sight, Sugoroku turned to Yami and shifted to get more comfortable.

"So, that long story you were talking about..."

The prince got the hint and shook his head. "I think it'll have to wait for a time when we know each other better, if you don't mind,"

The old man nodded, getting the hint. "Ah, I understand." and with that, the subject was closed. "Would you like some more cocoa?"

Yami nodded, smiling gratefully at the other. "That I would, sir,"

And from there, Sugoroku taught Yami how to make his _own_ cup, rather than letting someone else do it for him. Yami was elated at the new information, and the old Mutou was glad he didn't have to get up as much.

Several moments later, Yuugi came bounding back up the stairs, panting as if he'd had a workout. Happy, he sighed and grabbed his cup, about to finally get a taste of that wondrous drink he so loved... when suddenly, he blinked. Frowning, he held his hand over the tip of the mug, and then made quite a mournful noise. "Grampa!" he called, whining. "My chocolate's not hot anymore..." And with this, he sniffled, pouting.

Sugoroku laughed at his grandson, and told him to get up and come into the kitchen. "We'll fix that problem," he told him. Yuugi blinked again as he saw Yami having _way _too much fun putting the chocolate powder into the mug.

"Um..."

Yami looked up curiously. "What?" he asked, completely clueless.

Yuugi looked back at his grandfather who only shrugged and patted the small boy's shoulder. "I'll leave you to tell him, Yuugi,"

The smaller boy blinked up at his counterpart, the said being doing the same. "Um..." he muttered again, looking around. He finally walked forward, mug and all. "Yami, that's a lot of powder," he commented, looking down into the other's cup. It was almost completely full!

The prince just looked confused. "Is that a bad thing?" he asked, tilting his head.

Yuugi looked up at him, frowning, before he laughed slightly. "Oh, no... Not _bad_, to say...but just... That'll be really chocolately." And once more, he looked completely innocent, smiling up at his guest, large gray eyes shining.

Yami, in turn, couldn't help but smile back. "Well, if that's what makes this taste so divinely, then I think this should be plenty." Just as he said this, the teakettle began whistling, hot steam spraying out of the top.

The taller male gently turned the knob, which the old man had showed him turned off the... stove, was it called? Not that it mattered much, but... He lifted up the kettle and poured the scalding liquid into his mug, the powder soaking up most of it, and making it become quite clumpy. Grabbing a spoon, Yami started poking at the lumps, trying to get them to dissolve. He frowned, having no such luck. Yuugi watched all this, and then giggled, moving over to help the older boy, taking the spoon from his hands, and smacking at the lumps, smiling all the time.

Just then, a young woman walked in, magenta hair pooling around her face, and lively gray eyes taking in the scene before her. "Oh, hello you two. Hot chocolate, I presume?"

Both boys turned at the new voice, Yuugi smiling brighter. "Yup!" he replied, turning back to helping Yami, while the said male blinked and then bowed slightly. "Good evening Miss Mutou," he said respectfully.

The woman smiled and waved this off. "Oh, no need to be so formal, Yami, you make me feel old!" she laughed heartily at this, eyes twinkling. "Well, anyway," she continued, turned and looking her shoulder at the two. "I'm going to shower and then go to bed. Thanks for helping me with those boxes, Yuugi, by the way." And with this, she winked and then left the room completely.

Yami blushed slightly, blinking in slight confusion, while Yuugi snickered at him. "My mom's always been weird..." And once again, he returned to plopping the silverware down onto the chocolate.

The prince just nodded and turned back to watching him.

---

Ryou sighed, pulling at him hair slightly. "...Ew." Blinking at his hand, he frowned and felt his hair again. He cringed. "Oily..." he observed. "I need a shower," With this said and done, he sighed again, looking over the couch, at Mariku who was raiding the refrigerator.

The pale boy shook his head, not having a clue where Bakura had gone... And this fact worried him. "I'm going to go take a shower, alright, Mariku?" he asked, making sure the tanned male heard him.

The blonde looked up, something indecipherable hanging from his mouth. After mumbling something, the violet-eyes Althasian went back to whatever he'd been doing.

Ryou just shrugged and got up, walking down the hallway, and making a turn at the bathroom. He was about to start undressing, when he realized he'd have to walk out in nothing but a towel right now... Se he turned right back around and continued down the hall, until he got to his room, which was dark, thanks to the lights not being on, and grabbed a set of bedclothes.

After he succeeded this, he pranced right back to the room he was in, and shut and locked the door. Hey, you could never be too careful!

Quickly, he began undressing, setting his clothes on the toilet seat, before stepping into the bathtub, and turning on the water to hot. He liked hot showers. They always soothed him so well...

Pulling up on the knob, causing the showerhead to turn on, Ryou stepped into the warm spray. Oh, it felt so good... Sighing for the third time, he began lathering his hair with his favorite strawberry shampoo.

_'Okay, so maybe tonight isn't so bad...'_

---

Meanwhile, Mariku was looking for his lil' buddy--Princess. He'd looked everywhere! Well, all except for that one room, which Ryou had disappeared in... Blinking, he decided that would be a good place to look next.

He slunk up to the door, shaking the door handle, but having no success in opening it. A frown crosses his face and he looked around, finding a funny-looking silver-metal twirly thingy lying on the ground. This caused the insane one to grin, and pick it up, pulling at it, and then, out of his spur-of-the-moment decision, he jabbed it in-between the doorframe and door. Suddenly, there was a click, and he blinked, twisting the knob once more, this time gaining access to the 'forbidden room.'

He peeked his head in, face scrunching up at the steam, which caused his nose to begin to run. He sneezed, which in turn, gained a scream from behind the curtain. Ryou's head shot out from behind the said thing, face incredibly red. "_Get **out**_!" he shrieked, throwing a white, solid object, aimed at Mariku's head. The tanned male ducked the soap and looked mournfully at the smaller boy.

"What has Mariku done wrong?" he asked, looking hurt.

This made Ryou falter, and gawk. "I...I'm _taking a shower_!" he gasped, like it was common knowledge, face now much more scarlet than before. "You--You don't just..._come in_ when someone's taking a shower! That's why the door was locked,--" He trailed off from there, eyes widening. "How did you get the door open?" he asked, looking irritated now.

Mariku smiled happily, and held up the thin metal swirl he'd distorted. "Mariku found this! He just stuck it in, and the door came open!"

The pale boy's left eye started twitching up, seeing the paperclip in the other's grasp. "Just get out, before I hurt you," he glared, then threw the curtain closed once more.

The taller male whined deep in his throat and continued to do so, until he was completely out of the room. The green-eyed boy had been waiting until he heard the door click before letting out his breath and going back to rinsing out his hair, his face still glowing a faint pink. "How embarrassing..."

It was then he wondered how he'd ever get through the night, if one was bad enough. He had two on his hands, plus the cat, made three!

_'Oh, whatever deity out there that's listening_, please_ save me...!'_

**.:Chapter end:.**

Well, I almost hit 2,000 words there... heh... Anyways... Hope you enjoyed this chapter! But I do wanna say... the relationships prolly won't be happening for a while... heh... I'm trying not to make this move TOO awful fast... And thanks again to everyone who reviewed! Those are what inspire me to write! I love you all! XD

-Cecilia


	6. Lost Pets, Apologies, Fights, and NonFor...

**.:Chapter six - Lost Pets, Apologies, Fights, and Non-Forgotten Memories:.**

After drying his hair, Ryou leaned on the counter, resting his head against the cool mirror in front of him. He let out a soft sigh, closing his eyes, wet hair falling around his effeminate face. Gently, his eyes blinked open, only to glance up into their reflection in the metal. Heaving another sigh, he pushed himself up and finished drying off his body, the steam from his hot shower still wafting about the small bathroom, like fog. He wrung his hair out into the sink and repeated this action several times, until his hair was just damp, as apposed to soaking. He pulled on his nightclothes, which consisted of...well...a shirt. A very long shirt, but just a shirt none-the-less. This made him want to rethink his bed-wear.

Rubbing his hair with the towel, his mind wandered off to another place or time, eyes distant. He shook himself out of that, blinking. Sighing, he rubbed at his frizzy-but-clean hair. He hung up the towel and grabbed his dirty clothes, throwing them in the hamper outside the bathroom, once he'd opened the door. Looking over, he found Mariku sitting on the couch, knees drawn up to his chest, and head buried into his arms. He thought he heard something that sounded like a quiet sniffle, but he wasn't sure. Silently he moved closer, frowning. His eyes widened however, when he saw those tanned shoulders shaking slightly. Mariku was...crying?

"Are..." he paused, seeing the other looked up, having wiped his face, no signs of any tears left. "Are you alright?"

'...Well, that might've been the stupidest thing you've said tonight.'

The violet-eyes male stared, and then shook his head, going back to his moping.

"What's wrong?" the pale teen asked, this time sounding much smarter.

"Princess is gone! I can't find him anywhere..." the older one cried, sounding utterly heart-broken.

The smaller boy opened his mouth to reply when he heard a shrill ringing. He winced. Stupid phone. But after what Mariku had said...he felt so bad for him, no matter how silly the problem sounded. 'Even though that cat is evil, he obviously loves it a lot...'

Turning, he moved to the stupid-interrupting-electronic-device, picking up the receiver, speaking into it. "Hikari(1)," he said quietly, so whoever it was calling knew whose house it was. His eyes widened slightly and he blinked. "Hello?" he asked, listening harder. Once more, no one answered. The pale boy frowned more, and moved to hang up the phone, when he finally heard an answer.

"I'm sorry,"

This caused Ryou to blink again and lift the receiver once more to his ear. "Malik?"

"Ryou, I'm sorry...about what I said earlier..." the tanned male fidgeted on his end of the line, looking down. He was never really good at apologies, but he did feel bad about what he'd said to his friends... But he wasn't able to reach Yuugi right now, so he just called up his only other option for relief from his problem.

The white-haired boy smiled kindly, though his blonde companion couldn't see it. "I know, Malik... I know how easily stressed you are," and with this, he grinned, playing with the phone cord with his free hand. Okay... so he was flirting(2). But that wasn't the point.

He heard the other growl, but playfully. "Oh, you," Malik sighed, and he would have said something else, had he not been interrupted.

"PRINCESS!"

"..."

Both were silent, Ryou staring at Mariku, who was clawing desperately at the wall, trying to climb up it.

"...Please, Ryou, tell me those freaks aren't at your apartment..."

"Um...What should I tell you, then?"

"...You're so stupid sometimes," the pale boy flinched at this, but almost smiled when he heard the brown-skinned boy's voice become tender. "Just be careful." And the line went dead.

Ryou hung up the phone, feeling giddy, knowing his friend cared for him, and turned, only to find the sight of the strange blonde male looking up at the ceiling, moving occasionally, but never averting his eyes. The small boy walked up curiously, cocking his head at the other, frowning. "What are you doing, Mariku?" he asked, somewhat worried.

The other turned his violet eyes to him, and pointed up. "Princess! I can hear him!"

Now _this_ made Ryou's eyes grow wide. "What!" He looked up, just like Mariku was, and groaned when he heard the sound of small cat feet pawing around above them. Shortly after, there was a muffled meow. "Oh, my God..." he moaned, raking a hand over his face, sliding down the wall until he was in a sitting position. "Your cat is _inside_ the freaking air vent!"

Mariku gasped and ran over to a small cage-like rectangle on the roof, right above the couch. Ryou looked up and almost fainted when he saw the other yank at it, then growl at his failure and _rip_ the said metal thing off (a few screws falling to the floor), and then use the said couch to jump up, grabbing hold of the ceiling, and pulling himself into the ventilation system as well.

By now, the poor boy was nearly hyperventilating. "Oh, my God, oh, my God, he's in the vent, the cat's in the vent, _they're both in the vent!"_

After this was said, he ran over to where Mariku had disappeared and looked up, only seeing a few small specks of dust come snowing down. He moved from side to side to try to see the other, but to no avail. "Damn you!" he screamed up, hearing it echo slightly. Sighing, the now-shaking Ryou sat down on the couch, face buried in his hands. After hearing several loud thumps, which echoed as well, followed by more scuffling, sounding further and further away.

A few minutes went by, or at least it felt like it, before Ryou, trembling, got to his feet and went to his room, hoping if he ignored the whole incident, it would just disappear. He pushed open the door to his room, blinking blindly, since his eyes weren't used to the darkness. He reached over and clicked on the light, almost gasping when he saw an unfamiliar sight on his bed.

"Bakura?" he asked, shocked.

The white-haired Althasian turned slightly, looking at the smaller boy a few seconds before holding up something consisting of a dull, faded pink. "What _is _this?" he asked, brown eyes flashing in curiosity.

Ryou inhaled sharply, gaining an uneasy look in his eyes. "Oh... That's a stuffed animal..." he said quietly, fidgeting.

Bakura raised an eyebrow. "Not an actual animal, I assume?" He was still holding the small fluffy thing quite roughly.

"Please, don't tear that," the younger boy begged, stepping forward. "It was my sister's," he trailed off, lifting his hands to pick at his shirt.

And now, Bakura's other eyebrow was raised. "'Was'?"

Ryou's green eyes shifted to the floor. "She doesn't live here anymore." was his only explanation, his eyes dimming as he said this, a far-off look in them.

"She's dead, isn't she?" the other stated bluntly.

Ryou flinched visibly, as though he'd been physically struck, though nodded slowly, pained, pulling gently at his damp hair.

The other snorted softly and turned, going back to staring at the wall. It was obvious he hadn't really moved much at all on the smaller one's bed, since the covers were still folded neatly, not crinkled from use. Slowly, his chocolaty eyes turned downward, glaring quite fiery at the small, worn-out rabbit. One of its 'eyes' (which were really black buttons) was coming off, and the seams were almost busting in some places, showing how much it had been loved on. With a growl, he threw it, the poor thing crashing against the wall, earning a shocked gasp from Ryou. The boy ran forward and tenderly lifted it up, as though it were a living child, and cradled it to his chest.

"You ass," he said quietly, small form trembling in anger. Looking down at the thing, he noticed that the button had come completely off. He turned, trying to find it, but fell over when the toy was roughly ripped from his arms.

"Give her back!" Ryou shouted, eyes blazing, before he realized what he'd said.

Bakura stared down at him, his own eyes afire. "This isn't your sister," he said, teeth clenched. "It will _never be_ your sister." he continued, watching as the other's form curled in upon itself. "So get over it."

Suddenly, a rip was heard, and both watched as the stuffed rabbit fell to the floor limply, its arm still in Bakura's large hand. Apparently, holding it by that alone wasn't very smart... it was worn out, and the weight caused it to tear.

Ryou was now shaking all over, looking like he'd witnessed his sister's death twice over. A single tear fell down his cheek and he got up, pushing past Bakura, and darting from the room.

_'How could he!_' Ryou thought desperately,_ 'That was... I _hate_ him!'_

Bakura stood in shock. He hadn't really meant to hurt the other that badly... he'd only been trying to get through to him... Angrily, he threw down the toy onto the bed, folding his arms. After a few seconds, his eyes trailed back to it, and saw the sadness shining in the single button-eye it had left... and he felt a strange form of pity.

"Oh, for the love of..."

Okay, so maybe he could understand how someone could care about a toy...

---

Ryou sat one the couch, knees up to his chest, and arms wrapped around him, his head buried deeply in them for comfort. If one hadn't been looking close enough, they wouldn't be able to see that he was crying.

He heard several loud, hollow thumps from above him, and looked up, eyes tinted pink and over-shined from his salty tears. Some dust flittered down next to him, and then a rather large mass of it fell all at once, and at a very fast rate, before something even larger fell out. Mariku, a whole powdery-gray color coating his body, held his precious feline close to his chest, having landed on the couch in a sitting position next the young teen. He sneezed, and then looked over to see the other not looking back at him. He frowned, almost sensing the angst from the other and reached out, lifting the other's chin and turning his head to face him.

"What is wrong, little nice-Bakulookalike?" he asked quietly.

"My name's Ryou," the other said, pulling his face away from the larger male's touch. "And Bakura _is_ the problem!" he said, eyes filling up once more. "My...my _mother_ made that toy for her..." and he then buried his face again, going back to his crying.

The tanned male looked sadly at him, before lifting his Princess up the smaller boy. "Ryou?" he asked, using his name for the first time.

The boy looked up, only to meet the sight of a dust-covered cat in his face. He blinked back, and was utterly shocked when Princess leaned out and bumping his head against Ryou's face gently.

"Go tell Ba-Ra not to hurt you anymore--you look bad when you cry."

Ryou, not sure how to take the comment, only shook his head. "But...he doesn't _listen_ to me..."

"Of course he does! Baku-Baku has thick head, but he listens." Mariku replied, poking his temple a few times, smiling down at him, holding his cat in one arm.

The pale-haired teen looked back at him, and the smiled slightly in return. Maybe, just maybe, Mariku as smarter than he let on. "Thanks," he whispered, before getting up and walking back down the hallway, to his room. He noticed that the door was shut once more, but not all the way... He pushed it open, like before, and met quite a sight! His eyes widened, and then softened at the scene of Bakura, the asshole who had caused him so much grief in one afternoon, lying down on the bed, above the covers, asleep, cradling what was left of the bunny plushie tenderly in his arms.

And maybe...just maybe... Bakura wasn't such a bad guy after all...

**.:Chapter end:.**

(1) I made Ryou's last name "Hikari", meaning Light. :3

(2) You'll understand this later.

-wipes forehead- Whew! Sorry for the wait, guys... heh... I know this was all about Ryou-tachi, but the next chapter will be solely Yami and Yuugi time!

-Cecilia


	7. Slumber Party Fiasco

**.:Chapter seven - Slumber Party Fiasco:.**

"Hot chocolate!" Yuugi cried as he practically jogged back into the living room, somehow or another managing not to spill his drink. As soon as he got to the coffee table, he set the cup down and shook his hands. "Hot, hot, hot..."

Yami chuckled at this as he walked in much more calmly, sitting down on the couch while the small teen started blowing on his hands, eyeing his cup quite lustfully. The prince held his mug by the handle, so he was safe from any burning. "Perhaps if you gained a little bit of patience you wouldn't get burnt like that," he said, smirking.

The gray-eyed boy pouted, crossing his arms. "Well, fine, mister Know-It-All," he muttered. Suddenly his face lit up and he cried; "Watch it!" Taking Yami completely by surprise, he leapt over the said male, who quickly moved his hot drink out of the way before Yuugi rammed into it. He barreled over the larger teen, landing on the cushion next to him, grinning insanely. "You're quick," he stated, laughing slightly from behind his hand.

The crimson-eyed one was blinking down; completely baffled by the boy next to him. But at the innocent look he was receiving, Yami shook his head, chuckling once more. "You are certainly unusual." he murmured, smiling back at the boy.

The smaller rubbed the back of his head, moving to sit up. "Yup," he answered, leaning over to get his cup. "Ow," he muttered the instant he touched the surface, holding it to his mouth, before wincing. "Ow, ow, ow," And the chant continued as so.

This caused Yami to outright laugh and he plucked the drink from the younger boy's hand, setting it on his lap while Yuugi fanned his tongue. "You just can't wait, can you?" he asked, smirking. This boy was too cute.

Yuugi snorted in answer and grabbed at his mug gleefully, pouting and whining in his throat when Yami moved it further away. "You're just going to burn yourself again," the elder chided, shaking his head.

Pursing his lips, Yuugi frowned and then snatched Yami's drink instead, grinning in absolute victory.

"Hey--!" the Althasian started, but was cut off when the small teen stuck his tongue out, taking a sip shortly after that. Suddenly, his face scrunched up, and his eyes flew open.

"Whoa!" he coughed, rubbing his throat, looking like he'd just tasted something far too strong. "You put _way_ too much chocolate powder in here!" he exclaimed, trying to get the taste from his mouth.

"Well, that's why it's mine and not yours."

Rolling his eyes, Yuugi shoved the cup back and nabbed his own. "Thanks for nothing," he muttered, hissing as the hot glass burned his hands.

Yami blinked, looking slightly confused. "Um...You're welcome?"

Now it was the smaller boy's turn to blink up at him. Suddenly, he burst into laughter, trying to cover his fit of giggles with his hand, while the other set his cup down. "That's not something you're supposed to answer like that," he got out, through his...well, fits.

The older just sighed and smiled, shrugging. "Well, I answered anyway," he replied, shrugging.

Almost an hour later from that point, both boys found themselves enthralled in a videogame, of which Yami was simply ecstatic! They didn't have things like this on Althastrus! He had had problems at first (mainly with the controller and all the buttons), but he was quickly learning, though Yuugi was still beating him badly. The little animated figures were so... flashy, and bright, it was almost magical... For the alien, at least. The shorter teen might have thought him to be crazy, had he stated this. So he didn't. _Think subtle!_

After getting his butt kicked a few more times, he finally let the controller drop from his hands, falling with a soft 'clink' to the carpeted floor. He yawned widely, lifting a hand to his mouth to cover its gaping hole, unsure of why he was so tired so suddenly... It was certainly unusual.

The host of this little two-person slumber party glanced over at the other, not quite wanting to stop playing yet. Yami was just getting so much better, too! And while he loved winning, he loved a good challenge even more. "Aw," he whined, pouting. "I dun wanna stop yet,"

Just then, Sugoroku popped his elderly head into the room, his nightcap waving slightly as a greeting almost from atop its perch. "I think it's time you both go to sleep," he suggested, though it was more of a 'do it now or face my old-farty wrath tomorrow' type of thing. Deciding it was best to comply, even if it _was_ against his personal wishes, Yuugi reached up and shut off the game console, turning off the television shortly afterwards.

"Yes, Grampa..." he drawled, rolling his eyes. "I just hafta go put the cups in the sink," he added, walking over to the table and the long-forgotten hot-chocolate mugs. There was suddenly a dull thud behind him and he turned abruptly, blinking bewilderedly at the sight before him. Even the older man was pretty shocked.

Yami had apparently collapsed, lying completely sprawled out on the floor, his eyes closed. A scare fell over the two and they rushed over to the fallen boy, Yuugi standing on the side, watching fearfully. What had just happened! As his grandfather lifted the other slightly with a small grunt at the weight, the gray-eyed boy stood nervously, fidgeting. What if the other had just... died? And they didn't know anything about him! Not even his last name! And all of his stuff was stolen, so they had no identification...

He was quickly pulled from his pessimistic thoughts by a sudden bursting guffaw. Glancing up, abashed at his family member, Yuugi was about to say something about it when the other turned to him. "He's fine," he said, still holding Yami's limp form. "I guess whatever sugar-high he'd gotten from the cocoa had turned off really fast. He's just asleep."

All the small boy could do was laugh as well. Ah! Relief! No deaths tonight in the Mutou residence...! Hopefully.

"But this is why you should both go to sleep," the gray-haired man chided, lips pursed this time, and quite a serious facial expression. It was almost humorous--the look on his face... But Yuugi knew better than to grin. He nodded quickly and helped his grandfather lug the somewhat heavy (for two vertically challenged people, yes) body over to the couch, setting him down somewhat roughly.

"I'll go get a blanket from the closet," the teen piped up, darting off down the hall.

Sugoroku just shook his head, smiling at the whole scene, before hobbling over and grabbing the twice forgotten mugs, taking them to the sink to wash them out.

---

After getting everything set up and pretty, the two left Yami alone to slumber in peace, now complete with a heavy, thick blanket and a fluffy spare pillow.

Skipping figuratively off to his room, Yuugi thought about everything that had happened in that day. It was quite interesting, to say the least. And he'd just have to show Yami to Jounouchi, and Honda, and Anzu, and... Well, there really weren't many other people there to flaunt him to... Fooey. And the other had really cool ears and teeth, too...

As he opened the door to his bedroom, the spiky-haired boy looked up through the skylight, staring wistfully up at the stars. He'd always wanted to know what was past what we could simply see with our eyes. And after a small smile, he pictured any aliens out there to look like the three newbies he and Ryou were housing. They were, indeed, different...to say the least. He then decided that he shall dub them 'the aliens', if for nothing more than his own amusement. He turned from his desk and threw himself down on his bed, bouncing a few times before finally settling down.

He sighed and pulled his pillow up to his face, cuddling up against it. He loved his bed. He loved it oh-so much. His mind trailed off as to whether the couch was as comfortable to sleep on or not, but then a sudden thought leapt at him, and he felt a tad rude... How it would be to wake up in a strange house in a strange land and with strange people! So, after this he decided that he would just have to sleep in the living room this night... or what was left of it, anyway. It was pretty late... or early... whatever.

Gathering up his bedthings, he scuttled off down the hall, blue comforter blanket trailing faithfully behind him. He finally made it (and through the dark, too! On his own!) to his destination, plopping himself down right on the chair that was next to the sleeping male. Yuugi let out a contented sound, very much comfortable in his balled-up position on the cushions, blanket wrapped tightly around him, keeping him safe from the cold. Not long after, he seemed to notice that the lounge chair smelled a bit...different. Upon sniffing more, he realized that it smelled like...Yami.

Wow.

He blushed a little at the fact that he'd been all but panting in the other's scent. Oh, well. No one had to know, right?

...Of course.

No more than half and hour later, he was asleep as well; oblivious to his grandfather's loud snores from down the hall. The last thought he harbored was faint glimpses of what they could do tomorrow... And he knew Jounouchi would just throw a fit at how much their hair looked alike.

He couldn't wait.

Though he just hoped Ryou was fairing as well as he was...

**.:Chapter end:.**

So sorry for the shortness... Hopefully I'll be able to come back in later and make it longer.

-Cecilia


	8. Moral Support

**.:Chapter eight - Moral Support:.**

Dashing off down the hall, Yuugi giggled happily, shooting past his very shocked mother, who was nearly run over a second time by their guest, whom followed the boy close behind, whining out some incoherent words. "Oh, my," she said quietly, bending her body and tilting her head to look after them as the two disappeared around the corner.

"Dad...?" she asked slowly, still blinking like she couldn't quite process something. Hey, it was early in the morning. Go figure.

Sugoroku poked his head out of the kitchen, the place where the smell of breakfast was wafting around. "Yeeees?" he drawled, a grin set on his old, wrinkly face.

Miss Mutou did not like that grin, either. It meant 'no good' in her language. "Did... Did my son just run by with a pair of black, leather-type pants, and did Yami just run by afterwards, chasing him with a blanket wrapped around his lower body?"

"...Maybe." the elder replied, sneaking back to his spot in front of the stove, skillet sizzling happily, having waited for him to return.

Putting her hands on her hips, the magenta-haired woman stepped into the said room, standing over her father. "And you wouldn't have _anything_ to do with that, would you...?" She knew he'd done something. Yuugi didn't normally do things like that without inspiring ideas. Or sugar. Either one would have had to have been provided by the grandfather.

"Of course not,"

"...Right." Subject dropped. "Well, I'm going to go do some _early_ early shopping and I shall be back in a few hours. I'll pick up my own breakfast on the way," she added, before turning and smiling innocently through the door to the hall, which lead to the living room. "And I'd better not see anything broken, or morally traumatized when I get back." All said with that childish, beautiful smile of hers. "Tootles!" and with that, she seemed to almost disappear, now no longer standing in the hall period. Not even so much as a smoke cloud. But, then again, that's just how she was.

Shrugging, the old man kept on grinning. "I wouldn't worry. Traumatizing's something more of Malik's style." he said, apparently to himself, since he was left alone.

Just then, a blur darted through the living room, insane cackling filtering around the house and echoing down the hall.

"Give those BACK!" And another one rushed past, blanket sliding along the floor behind. "Those are the only pants I have!" And that was more of a whiny voice, something Sugoroku was sure Yami didn't use very often.

But this was amusing him to no end.

More evil laughter came before a sudden thud and then _CRASH_, before everything went silent. "...Oops."

Eye twitching up, the elderly man stepped out of the kitchen, moving his way into the room which was surely somewhat destroyed by now. As he entered the said room, he blinked, seeing Yami completely on top of Yuugi, wrapped around him almost, the blanket sprawled around them both. It was riding a tad low, and the grandfather could see what he was sure was an ass-crack.

Next to them was a table that had been pushed over, and the potted plant that had formerly set contentedly on top of it now lay on the floor in pieces.

"You both are so dead when your mother gets home." was all he said before Grampa walked back into the room he came from, going back to his cooking before something got set on fire.

"Oh, crap."

Yami blinked down at the small boy beneath him, who was now squirming to get away. "I'm very sorry," he said, truly feeling guilty. He didn't like to damage another person's things like that--it wasn't a good, nice thing to do at all. Besides, that was more of a Bakura or Mariku thing to do.

Speaking of those two... he hoped they hadn't inadvertently killed the poor boy they were staying with. That would not be good.

"I know, and I forgive you, but mom's gonna throw a fit. She loved that vase." he ranted, finally managing to get out from under the other, after had Yami lifted himself up slightly. "We have to do something before she finds out!" Yuugi continued to whine, pulling at his hair, not noticing Yami slip his pants back on, before standing up beside him. "I heard her leave, but I don't know when she'll be back!"

Yes, panic was a word that fit him well right now. If one did not know the wrath of an angry mother, then they would not understand this fear. But then again, Yuugi's mother was not just an ordinary one. She was like some kind of monster when irritated. Which brought us back to where we were.

They were both figuratively screwed.

"She said in a few hours," came his reply from the kitchen. "Now come get some breakfast before going on your little journey to save your poor, doomed souls."

"But Grampa...!"

"Breakfast. Now."

"...Oh, fine."

And so, the quest to quickly clean up the mess and buy a new flowerpot that looked identical to the former one was put off for a later time. Namely after the food.

It was very tasty, by the way, which Yami made a point to get across. He went back for seconds...and a third. Possibly more was eaten, but we're not going to go into it.

---

Ryou, though, was a tad disturbed from the night before. Mariku had _needed_ a shower after his little romp in the dust bunnies... And frankly, so did his damnable feline. But putting a cat in a bathtub with any kind of running water is a no-no.

But apparently his tanned guest didn't know that.

He also didn't seem to understand the fact that one does _not_ strip off all of their clothes while other people--_strangers_!--are in the same room! This gave the poor teen much mental scarring.

But after forcing the blonde one into the bathroom, cat in hand, he'd shut the door and barred it with whatever he could get at the moment. Luckily, Princess hadn't shredded _too _many things... Nothing irreplaceable, anyway. He could buy another shower curtain, after all.

But his hand, unfortunately, could not be replaced. But a nice bandage did help a lot.

Unfortunately for both of them, after the little shower incident, Ryou had no clothes for Mariku to wear... so after letting him dry off, he gave him a blanket and pillow to sleep with on the couch, while he took his father's bedroom. He was positive his dad wouldn't want a naked, somewhat deranged stranger sleeping in his bed.

Princess went into hiding again, most likely to get himself dry, but regardless... he was gone nonetheless.

Mariku had whined about this a while, but was out like a light several seconds afterwards. Ryou was very thankful for this. _VERY_ thankful.

Bakura had slept through most of the night, though he'd woken up to use the restroom... And after flooding the said room in a few inches of water in the process, he'd learned how to use the toilet. Though whatever happened to the plushie he'd been holding was a mystery to him. He was almost scared to go after it, though, so he just let it be.

But other than having his apartment basically trashed, he'd say the night went fairly well.

He was just cleaning up breakfast when the phone rang, scaring Mariku out of his wits, causing the said male to run screaming across the room and lock himself in the flooded bathroom. After a few seconds delay because of this, the white-haired earthling finally made his way to the phone, answering it with his usual; "Hikari,"

"Ryou! You have to help!"

Blinking at the frightened voice he heard from the other end, the green-eyed teen shook his head. "Yuugi...what's wrong?"

"Yami and I were running, and we accidentally knocked over my mother's vase! We have to find one just like it and replace it before she gets home!" the small boy rushed, sounding near hysterics.

Had Ryou not known Yuugi's mom, he'd have thought the boy was _badly_ overreacting. But he knew, from experience, that he actually wasn't. And he was very glad he wasn't in his friend's spot at the moment, too. "Well, good luck..." he trailed off, rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh, _please_, Ryou!" the other begged, most likely giving him the 'kicked puppy' look via phone. And he could feel it, too! ...Oh, what utter joy he felt right now.

"Yuugi, please don't drag me into this..." he replied helplessly. He knew that his overly-kind personality would end up shining through, and he'd get dragged down with the other. Sadly, this is what he hated about himself.

"...Malik's coming."

Last resort, eh? ...But if Malik really was going to be helping...

"Fine."

And with that, he hung up, crossing his hands over his hips. "I swear, that kid can read minds, sometimes..." But he just sighed, moving off to get a comb for his hair. "Bakura! Mariku! You're coming with me, too!" he called, feeling like a mother of disorderly children.

Oh, this would be a long, _long_ day.

---

Malik glared at the mirror as he placed both earrings into his ears, putting his full attention into that task, and then shaking his head to get any hair out of his face. "Stupid Yuugi," he muttered, moving to grab some kohl to place around his eyes.

And speak of the devil's little innocent angel-pet.

"Brother," came a melodic female's voice through the door, "Yuugi just called to tell you to, quote, 'hurry your lazy ass up'." Isis finished, ending her message from her spot in the dining room, whilst scribbling different assortments of words down onto some paper. She was a busy woman, after all. Getting up to tell someone something that could just as easily be yelled was such a ludicrous task.

Malik paused his ministrations, having his bottom eyelid pulled down so he could apply the eyeliner fully, hand posed to apply the said makeup. He twitched slightly, trying not to stab his eye out while he raged inwardly. He did not want to see those three freaks again today. In fact, he did not want to see them _ever_. That would be very lovely, actually.

But alas, it was not to be.

After a few minutes' passing, he was outside his sister's large apartment, straddling his motorcycle and throwing on his helmet, muttering something colorful about 'Damnable midgets.'

---

As soon as the three friends met up, plus the three _other_ ones, Ryou promptly clung tightly to Malik's arm, quite happy to be away from the nightmare-duo he'd so unwillingly housed the night before.

But the Egyptian was used to this--the clinging, anyway--, since the white-haired boy seemed to have an obsession with being close to him. He'd asked about it once, but Ryou never really answered. '_Oh, well. At least he doesn't have a crush on me or anything.'_

Oh, if only he knew.

But unfortunately for him, the dove-haired teen wasn't the only one who seemed attracted to him. Mariku did as well. And he showed this by trying to hold his hand at every moment, Ryou glaring at him all the while.

Meanwhile, Yuugi seemed intent on insisting that the two girlier teens simply _had_ to know where he could buy an identical flowerpot.

"Well, where the hell did she buy it from?" Malik asked, his hands on his hips, having yanked his hand away from Mariku once more. The alien just whined and reached for it again, the whole process repeating itself.

"I...I really don't know." the shortest one admitted somewhat sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his hair.

Slapping his forehead, the tanned human groaned, knowing that this wasn't going to be easy. After a few seconds more of being pawed at and clung to, he turned around and threw a violent punch at his look-alike, aiming right for his face. He blinked, somewhat bewildered at the fact that there seemed to be no head there anymore. "Wha--?" and from there, he screamed like the 'girly' boy he was, flailing wildly as he was suddenly picked up from behind and cuddled, like he was a stuffed toy. "Let me go, you bastard!"

This scene seemed to catch many people's attention, since several passer-bys slowed down to watch and raise an eyebrow. "Tourists?" one whispered to the other, who just shrugged and kept walking.

Yami stuck close to Yuugi, _still_ looking like he really was feeling quite guilty. The smaller one kept trying to explain to him that it was both their faults, but more his for...er... certain reasons (namely being a pant thief), but none of it seemed to get through to the red-eyed being. He just kept swearing that he'd somehow make it up to him and his mother.

Both the so-far forgotten Bakura and the short prince were wearing the same clothes they had on the day before, though Mariku had ended up having to wear Ryou's father's shirt and pants, which he was sure he was going to get reprimanded for later... but it was either this, or have the psycho stay naked in his house.

He'd be damned if he was going to let him alone without clothes.

The (now not-so forgotten) white-haired Althasian just stayed in the back of the group, watching everything around him, his hands looped through the top of his pants. He _so_ didn't want to be out right now. There were far too many people about and all the noise was giving him a headache. He didn't like this planet very much, and he wanted to go home...

Just as he was about to make another snide comment in his head, his pinprick eyes landed on something that made his blood boil.

_"That bastard has my bag!"_

**.:Chapter end:.**

-Cecilia


	9. Thievery Accusations

**.:Chapter nine - Thievery Accusations:.**

"What?" Yuugi asked, turning to look at Bakura, quite shocked at what the other had just screamed out.

"That bastard has out stuff!" he repeated, pointing at some punk kid with a hat far too down on his face and dirty, black clothes, with chains hanging in every possible spot.

Mariku gasped loudly and dropped the struggling Malik, who hit the cement with a howl, hitting his shoulder. "That's a bad man!" he cried, covering his mouth with his hands once he spotted his precious luggage case. He ran to Bakura, grabbing the other's shoulder, looking ready to cry.

Ryou, meanwhile, ran to Malik's side, helping him up, glad the insane being had finally let go of him. "Are you alright?" he asked, looking his friend over. The Egyptian nodded, glaring hatefully at the one who'd dropped him.

"Fucking bastard..."

Yuugi grabbed onto Yami's arm worriedly, seeing the furious look in the other's eye. "You're sure?" he asked wearily, not wanting them to attack some innocent... slightly stoned-looking punk-ish guy.

Yami nodded, seething as the boy pulled out some small machine, showing it off to the guy he was talking to, pointing to different things and laughing every now and then. "Yes, that's definitely our stuff."

It took no more than a few seconds for Bakura to swiftly move across the street, over to the guy and sock him square in the jaw, most likely breaking it on contact. People around them started yelling as more violence ensued, gathering quite a crowd. It also took almost no time for some police officers to move in on the scene. After pulling the brown-eyed male off the other, his fists smeared with streaks blood (though not a lot, it made it look like more than it was), there was much shouting and cursing, Yami looking worriedly to Yuugi, who gave the same look back.

This wasn't good.

"Bakura must have been really upset to do something like that without thinking..." he said quietly, resting his hand on the gray-eyed boy's shoulder quickly before walking over to the commotion. He began talking quietly with the officers, who nodded a few times, still holding the struggling Althasian down. Yami then pointed to the other one, who'd received the beating, his face bloody and a black eye forming, before his finger trailed down to the bags that the guy had next to him.

Mariku had apparently lost interest, since he was busy fawning over Malik's shoulder, while the tanned teen was trying to bat him away. "You're such a fag!" he finally screamed, pushing the alien away and getting up, brushing himself off.

Ryou, who was standing on the side, looked like he'd been struck, and moved back, finding intent interest in some sign in the window of a shop. The remark had been aimed to hurt Mariku, but it had actually hit him instead of the intended target. The other was just confused.

"What is 'fag?'" he asked, completely oblivious to the meaning. This caught Malik off-guard, who'd obviously not expected the other to do so dense as not to know what an insult meant...

His face barely tinged rosy as he replied; "It means you're a _disgusting, gay_ man."

Again, the other just blinked. "What is 'gay?'"

Malik shouted his rage to the sky, as Ryou disappeared inside the store he'd been looking in. He just didn't think he'd be able to stand it much longer.

After having a sharp kick at his bluntly rude friend, Yuugi glared a little before turning to Mariku. "Its original meaning was 'incredibly happy and cheery', though I doubt that's what Malik was aiming for..."

Grabbing a bit of Yuugi's spiked tuft sticking up, the violet-eyed psycho tugged slightly, not enough to hurt the small boy, but enough to make him wonder what the hell he was doing. "Then what did pretty 'Li mean?" he asked, tilting his head and pulling the hair back and forth, causing Yuugi to have to move his head from side to side.

Trying to ignore this, the under-height teen tried to reply, his face becoming somewhat... flushed. "Well, I think he means that...that... well, the other meaning of gay is... erm... for a guy to... like guys... _like_-like..." he trailed off, somewhat uneasily.

While he wasn't as blatantly homophobic like Malik was, the thought did make him quite uncomfortable...

"So gay means for a man to mate with another man?" Mariku translated, frowning.

"Well, er...yes, you could say that."

"Well, Mariku is most definitely gay in both cases," he replied proudly, pointing to his chest and smiling, having let go of Yuugi's hair.

The said boy fidgeted, looking very unsure of what to say or do. Malik, on the other hand, stuck a finger down his throat and retched loudly, looking quite disgusted. "That'd be about right for you," he said, lips turned up. Ignoring the shocked glare he was receiving from his short friend, the Egyptian turned and pushed open the door of the shop Ryou had gone in mere seconds, possibly a minute of so, before.

He just needed to get away from that unnatural..._thing_. After letting out a heaving sigh, he looked up suddenly at the sound of a soft, beautiful yet haunting tune. Walking further into the shop, he found the shorter pale teen standing near the back, by a painting of an Asian-styled tree, some kanji scribbled down the side. In his hand, he held a small music box tenderly, watching it intently as though it were the most wondrous thing ever created.

Moving silently next to his long-time friend, he stopped at the boy's side, both just quietly listening to the music, ignoring the quiet chatter of the other people, however few there were, in the small pawnshop. It would have continued like that, had Ryou not suddenly snapped it shut, startling the tanned male. "What is it, Malik?" he asked, voice not sounding as sweet as it normally did.

"I just needed to get away from that disgusting pig." he replied, looking like he'd just tasted something very unpleasant. "He admitted to being _gay_! Like it was the most natural thing in the world... It's just... sickening."

"Malik, please don't talk to me anymore," came the dangerously low voice of Ryou, as the boy shoved past the oblivious blonde, who couldn't seem to understand why that had made the shorter male so upset.

"Ryou--"

But the other had already left his sight, having moved behind a bookshelf filled with different assortments of nick-knacks. Glancing down, Malik saw the now-forgotten music box, which had a small painting of a child and what could be presumed as a mother. They both looked so happy...

Now feeling slightly guilty, knowing somehow that it was his fault for hurting his friend, he gently opened the small box, letting the unfamiliar music flow once more.

---

As he exited the building, Ryou looked up and saw Mariku latched tightly onto Yuugi, nuzzling the short boy's face, while the latter gave off a very harassed and somewhat scared look.

_'This whole thing is Mariku's fault... if he... if those three just hadn't showed up in the first place, at least I could still dream that it could work...'_

As though sensing these angsty thoughts from the pale boy, Mariku glanced up, letting go of Yuugi to attack Ryou. Needless to say, he wasn't too pleased about this. "Leave me alone!" he shouted, throwing his arm out in an attempt to get the other to move back, but his plan didn't work too well... Since the blonde had just easily caught his wrist and blinked at him with his wide, pupiless violet eyes...

"Why is Ryou angry at Mariku?" he asked quietly, looking hurt.

...It was so damned hard to stay furious at someone who looked as pathetic as that... "Just...just go bother... bother Malik or something," the white-haired boy replied, looking away. His rather large crush on the said boy had suddenly shriveled, curled up in an attempt to keep the other's harsh words out. And his admiration for him dropped rather steeply as well.

Suddenly the other perked up, grinning brightly. "Yes! Pretty pretty Malik must be bothered!" he cried, clapping his hands, before his face fell a bit. "But pretty Malik doesn't like Mariku," he added, looking down sadly.

Swallowing hard, Ryou shrugged, trying to be nonchalant. "I'd have to say the same about myself," was his only reply, as he stepped around the tall Althasian, attempting to not look at Yuugi, who seemed utterly confused.

"Why's Malik mad at you?" he asked, his question directed at his albino-ish friend.

"Think about it,"

"Erm... never mind, then." Maybe if he just ignored the whole conflict, it would dissipate... things seemed to be doing that as of late. And the fact that he honestly had no clue of what Ryou was talking about didn't help, either.

Turning around, he went back to watching to make sure that Yami didn't need any help. But out of the corner of his eye he saw trouble. Uh-oh.

The white haired one had to be held down since he'd apparently struck one of the officers who had come in to help. Not good. And so, Yuugi, being the kind-hearted, problem-solving boy he is, ran towards the scene, dodging a few cars that almost hit him as he went. Yami was shaking his head, speaking animatedly to the other officer, who was the only one not having his hands full with _something_. "Those items belong to us, sir," he explained, shoulder slumping.

"Well, first thing is I'll need proof. Do you have any identification on you?"

...Hoshit.

"Um, sir, excuse me," Yuugi piped up, jumping into the conversation, smiling brightly. "I'm so sorry, but along with his stuff, Yami seems to have had his wallet stolen as well. He has no way of showing any identification." he said, thanking whatever deity would listen for his innocent face.

Frowning, the male before them sighed and nodded, resting his hands on his hips. "Well then, I'm afraid that you're going to have to come down and get it, once we've looked up your information on the computers," he muttered, pursing his lips, quite aggravated that things just couldn't be easy. "We'll also need you to tell us how your belongings went missing, and when."

Yuugi turned to look up at Yami, another small smile on his lips. "Don't worry Yami, we're going to get your things back... You just need to go with them so they can look up your personal info on the computers," he parroted back to the other, who looked straight ahead, his eyes widened slightly.

Blinking at the unusual face the taller was making, Yuugi frowned. "Yami...?" he asked, waving his hand in front of the other's face, who only jumped, startled.

"This isn't good..." he muttered, more to himself, not really worried about the officer hearing them, since he was conversing with the thieves.

"What's wrong, Yami?" the gray-eyed boy asked, now getting concerned.

Now he was in a stump. He couldn't just tell Yuugi that there was no way this planet would have information on them, could he? "Um..." His mind scrambled for an explanation, and he finally grasped one... not a very good one, but one none-the-less. "Perhaps we should just forget about all of this and go back to looking for that...erm... pot."

"But, Yami..."

"_Please_, Yuugi," the Althasian urged, grabbing lightly at the smaller boy's upper arm, looking into his eyes to prove his seriousness.

"Er...O...okay, Yami..." the earthling replied hesitantly, uncertain.

Breathing a sigh of relief, the bloody-eyed male sighed, pulling the other into a short-lived hug, before pulling back, glancing over at Bakura, who was throwing every curse he knew at the police who now had him in handcuffs, keeping him on the ground.

"Calm down, sir!" one of them was shouting at him, but the white-haired one simply ignored him.

"Get off of me! Those bastards stole our things! I'm going to get them back! Get the fu--" and from there, he lapsed into nice, colorful language, painting a picture of anger for the officer, who just rolled her eyes.

"You're going to get yourself a needle to the arm if you don't calm down," she muttered, causing Bakura to twitch, before struggling again, going on about the 'injustice' of this place, and so on.

"Bakura!" Yami barked, his voice angry and dangerous. All three people looked up at that, Bakura glaring hatefully at the prince, and the officers simply blinking, surprised at how such a small body could hold such a voice.

"Let it go, Bakura... let's just leave," he replied in a quieter tone, eyes flashing.

"Yami, I'm getting our things back, regardless of whether you want me to, or not," the paler one hissed, eyes burning with fury. "That bastard stole our property...we _need_ those things!" he added, trying to buck the two off of him.

"Let him up," he told the two, who glanced at each other and then let a little slack on the boy beneath them. "Thank you," he added, bowing slightly, before grabbing Bakura and pulling the man to his feet, forcing him closer, ignoring his protests. "Bakura, we don't have anyway to prove those things are ours... and to do that, we'd have to go wherever it is they look up background information... And _we do not have any on this planet!"_ he whispered, teeth clenched. "They'll catch us for being here illegally, and Ethe-hle be with us when they do! We don't know what kinds of things they have as punishments! They obviously don't know about aliens! Do you understand?"

Bakura stared ahead, eyes foggy, their former spark gone. He still looked furious, but now more subdued. "Bastards," was all he said, before shrugging his way out of the prince's grasp, glaring at the officers. "Just get these stupid things off me, and we'll be on our way."

Eyeing the two uneasily, the female officer frowned. "What changed your minds?" she asked, now suspicious that perhaps there was more than just a simple burglary that had gone on.

Seeing the look, Yami and Bakura glanced at each other, both knowing that this couldn't end well. Yuugi jumped up behind them, and began dragging them both off, when the third officer stopped him. "Why don't you all just come with us? To get things cleared up, and all..."

This definitely couldn't end well...

**.:Chapter end:.**

Sorry for leaving you guys like that, but...merf. Well, I sure hope you enjoyed the update! Yet another plot bunny has bitten me, and I'm afraid I'm working on more than just this story right now. -sweat- Heh... So sorry this took a while to get out! Hopefully I'll be able to update at least once a month from here-on-out, but no promises as of yet...

Don't forget to review! They're what keep me going!

-Cecilia


	10. Hook, Line, and Sinker

**.:Chapter ten - Hook, Line, and Sinker:.**

This definitely couldn't end well...

Yami, out of nervous habit, reached up to readjust the small, forgotten machine on his throat, picking at it almost. Being an officer, one has to be observant, so obviously one of them noticed, raising an eyebrow. "What's that?" the man asked, indicating to the technology. It was easily small enough to be brushed off as nothing, but...

Freezing, the prince blinked, his hand stopping its movement completely. Hocrap. "Um..." was the intelligent answer to come from his throat. "The newest technology in translations..." That sure didn't sound too convincing.

Eyebrows were lifted at that. "I've never seen anything like it. What does it do exactly?" an officer asked, looking somewhat intrigued.

Yuugi had almost completely forgotten about the little machine, his mind finding more important things to think about. "I, uh..." Yami began, sighing, hoping that perhaps, if he were nice enough, they would just let his group off, no troubles.

But it's bad to place your dreams so high, for disappointment is always waiting.

"Well, the one in my ears, after I set it, translates any language into one I can understand,"

Mariku had silently snuck up behind them, startling everyone but the police officers who had been facing his direction and had seen him coming. "Actually, it sends a wave through your brain in a type of universal language; one you can understand no matter how you communicate. It's a psychological thing, really."

And now he was being stared at. He blinked, curiously pointing a finger up at himself. "What...? Did Mariku say something he should not have?"

Yuugi, eyebrows raised and mouth open, tried to say something without being rude. (Though he almost blurted, "But you're supposed to be stupid!", which isn't a very nice thing to shout.) "Um... You really know a lot about these, don't you?"

Mariku smiled and nodded, petting Yuugi's hair fondly, like he was a cute animal, there for the pleasure and enjoyment of others. And adorably ignorant of the world. "Of course Mariku does," he responded, sounding a bit proud of himself. "The universe is very nice to understand."

The police officers just gave one another a glance, each making a face to show their thoughts. Yami and Bakura did the same, but secretly between themselves.

"Right..." began the same officer from before. "I'm assuming the one on your throat puts out this 'universal language', so everyone else can understand you?"

The three aliens nodded. "Yes, actually."

There was a pause in which everyone was waiting for what was going to happen next. The police where conversing several things amongst themselves, one finally turning to the three off-worlders and one human.

"I'm afraid you're all going to have to come with us."

---

Yuugi sat in a chair in a room in which people were asking him a few questions. The star-haired boy just insisted that they were his friends, new friends, but friends none-the-less, who had come to stay in the country and had just gotten there previously.

"Did you happen to witness the crime at all?"

Yuugi stared at his hands, wringing them. His heart was pumping furiously and his face must have been flushed. "No... None of us did, but..." he trailed off, glancing over to the side, at a wall with several notices on it. "I was with them when it happened." He explained, nodding to himself. "See, when we got back to the spot, I heard them screaming about how their stuff went missing. They didn't have any money or anything left, so... Me and my friend let them stay at our houses."

The man nodded, sighing and raking over his hair. He looked tired, but determined. "So, none of you actually saw who took their belongings." He summed up, lifting his head from his hand. Yuugi nodded. The man sighed again. "Damn," he muttered under his breath before he sat up straight, leaning back in his chair. "Okay, then. What's your friend's name? The other one who housed these guys?" The question seemed casual enough.

Yuugi scratched the back of his neck. "Hikari Ryou."

The man shook his head. "Not like the name does a lot of good." He leaned forward once more, resting his arms on the table that sat between them both. "Which guys stayed at your house?"

Yuugi shifted his position feeling less and less comfortable. "Yami." He finally answered.

The other nodded again, writing that down on the small notepad he had with him. "Okay, now did he ever say where he was from?" he asked, frowning.

Yuugi blinked and then realized that he had no idea of where that would be at all. After a moment of awkward silence, the gray-eyed teen finally shook his head.

The questioner groaned. "God, do you even know his last name?" 

Yuugi felt his face grow hotter before he shook his head again, meeker this time.

"And you've been taught not to let strangers into your home, right?" 

"Grampa let him!" Yuugi suddenly interrupted, shutting up after he realized how snappishly he'd defended Yami. He lowered his head and gulped. "He's a nice guy, and he wouldn't have hurt us."

The officer shook his head and set down his pen. "Look, kid, even murderers have nice sides." Yuugi looked like he was about to cut in, so the other quickly added, "Though he may very well be innocent. But for some reason he doesn't seem to have any identification to give us at all. Not where he's from, not his address, not his social security number, nothing!" This seemed to make him even more irritable. "These three have no data in our computers whatsoever. No passport, no plane tickets, no way to show how they got here."

Yuugi started to look pale, the blood that formerly made a living in his face moving elsewhere. He started shaking his head slowly. "Is there any chance your computers are wrong?" he asked, not wanting to think about the fact that Yami, Bakura, and Mariku were invisible to any database.

The man crossed his arms, staring off at the bulletin board on the wall a minute before trailing his eyes back to Yuugi. "Yes, there is a chance that there's just come glitch in the system." Yuugi started to look relieved but that was quickly squashed. "But I'll tell you now that that is a _very_ small chance. The equipment is incredibly precise and for something like this to happen... Well, you can see why we're trying to pry information from you." 

Yuugi timidly nodded. There was no way... no way that... that Yami was a bad person, right? Oh, how could he even doubt someone like that! But... there was always the chance...

Another sigh pulled him from his thoughts. "So, you basically know nothing about these guys at all."

Yuugi, as if on autopilot -- not thinking at all -- let his head answer, moving up and down slightly. He didn't answer in words. He was scared to. That would make this situation so much more real. 

"They're not bad people, are they?" he finally managed, voice quiet.

The officer shrugged, not really as worried as Yuugi was. "Well, there's no possible way we can tell –- not without a record. Which is why this is becoming more of an issue than the 'he stole our stuff' routine." He picked up his pen again and flipped the page he was one to a fresh one. "We're suspecting that they're here, in Japan, illegally. They don't have any way to prove that they're allowed here. Nothing. And so, we're afraid that we're going to have to make this more difficult." He finally leaned back, throwing down his pad once again. "Which is not something we want to do, because it means more work for us. But for all we know, they could be spies or something. We doubt it's that extreme, but there's _something_ wrong when they're going through so much trouble to hide their identity. We're not even sure they're using their real names."

Yuugi's chair raked across the floor, causing the officer to glance up at him, rough face curious. "I'm sure it's just a glitch." the small teen said, voice firm.

The older man gave him a weary look before closing his eyes and shaking his head. "Can I go, now?" Yuugi asked, starting to edge towards the door. The man nodded, waving him off with his hand.

"Just tell us if you find anything else out about those guys. We'll appreciate it."

Yuugi didn't even bother answering at all, as he was already walking down the hallway, heading towards the main entrance.

---

Yami sat in his chair, his face a mask of calm and collect. His arms were crossed and his body remained still, but his mind was absolutely racing. They were asking so many questions –- they knew he and his comrades shouldn't be there. But he could only pray that they wouldn't realize that his group shouldn't be on the planet at all.

And they were receiving less-than-nice treatment. "How could you not know your own social security number?"

That wasn't a very happy voice.

Bakura, Mariku, and he were all placed in the same room, since they wouldn't answer anything at all while in separate rooms. It was the only way they could get the group to talk at all.

Bakura growled, and was about to snap at them when Mariku butted in. Both the white-haired fiend and Yami prayed to every deity that he wouldn't say anything incrimination or that would get them in more trouble. But so far, he'd been quiet, listening, _thinking_ almost.

"Sir, I have a hard time reading numbers and remembering them," he explained, his voice sounding quiet, gentle, like he was explaining all of this to a child.

The two officers in the room snorted. "And what exactly does that mean to us?"

Mariku tipped his head forward, his bangs covering his eyes. "I..." he paused, thinking up the right way to put this into words. "I see things _backwards_." He said finally, ignoring the looks Bakura and Yami were giving him. At least they were subtle, though, and didn't draw attention to the fact that he was blatantly lying. 

The man frowned, giving the tanned male a strange look. "Like dyslexia?" he finally asked, and Mariku thanked the gods that there was really a disease like that. The alien nodded.

"Yes, dyslexia."

The officers exchanged a glance. "Even so you should still know it." he turned to send a hard look at Yami and Bakura. "What about you two?"

Mariku suddenly interrupted again, just as both were about to answer. "I have to relieve myself," he blurted suddenly, causing Bakura to choke, along with the standing officer in the room.

Both of the law-enforcers conversed through their eyes, before the one seated before the three finally heaved a great sigh and nodded. "Fine. I'll call you an escort."

Under normal circumstances, they would not have to go through the "escort" trouble, but this was not a normal circumstance. Not by a long-shot.

Yami stayed silent the whole time, staring at Mariku with his bloody eyes, sizing the other up. What did he have planned...?

It only took a few moments for a woman to walk in, armed with a few well hidden but conveniently placed defense weapons. Just in case, you know. "Okay, let's go."

Mariku quiet literally jumped from his seat, giving a desperate look to the escort, legs pressing against one another in the typical fashion for people whose bladders had become far too filled. She rolled her eyes and walked out, the alien following close behind.

And now that Yami and Bakura were left alone, it seemed much harder to get information from them.

---

Violet eyes, devoid completely of pupils, darted over everything they passed. Not a detail was missed. Not a word went unheard. He took everything, _everything_ in, and kept it there. And suddenly he was nudged, glancing forward to see the men's restroom before him. Since the woman was, in fact, not a man, she could not go inside. Mariku made it in fine on his own, though.

And the seconds he was inside, he immediately looked for a way out, the door having closed behind him, blocking him from that way.

But it was also protection from the woman's scrutinizing gaze.

He looked around quickly, seeing the many urinals and few stalls at the end. His eyes trailed up, and he noticed a vent on the wall above one of the toilets. He smirked, eyes glowing. He ran to that stall quickly, slamming the door shut and locking it. He quickly removed both of his boots, setting them down before the toilet, where ne might place their feet while sitting, and stood up on the toilet rim and started working to pry away the screws that held the cage on the vent. It took a lot of effort, but he finally got it. He quietly set it aside, crawling up and maneuvering himself against the wall of the stall, allowing better access to the small vent.

There was suddenly a loud banging on the bathroom door. "Did you fall in, buddy?" came the muffled question.

Mariku, still making his escape, turned to shout over his shoulder. "I think something I ate did not agree with my stomach!"

As degrading as it was, it had to be done. Time was very valuable.

There was an overworked sigh, and he could almost imagine the woman rolling her eyes. "Don't take _too_ long!"

Mariku, now almost completely inside the vent, nodded. "I'll try! But it is not my decision! Please forgive me -- I will try to hurry!"

And he was gone.

**.:Chapter end:.**

What _does_ Mariku have planned? What is he going to do and how will it help him and his friends get out of trouble? And where are Malik and Ryou!

Find out next time. Same fanfiction site, same fanfiction story.

And so you know; yes, I really am colorblind. Not totally, but I can't see certain shades of red or green. I can't distinguish the two from each other, which is why I HATE Christmas-schemed things. Ugh. Apparently I can't see that particular shade of purple, either.

I'm freaking sorry.

Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter... I didn't. It hurt. ):

-Cecilia


	11. The Great Escape

**.:Chapter eleven - The Great Escape:.**

A soft, echoing sound resounded throughout the ventilation system as Mariku crawled his muscled body down the main passageway. He continued his mostly quiet movements until he came to a fork in the path. He tilted his head to the side, looking down either direction. Both were just as dusty as the one he was on, and dark. And it sure was awful cold in there, too. His hands were numb, as were his nose, ears and feet. Giving a small shiver, he turned his head and listened carefully to both ways. From the right all he heard was the humming of the air-conditioning. But to the left, he heard talking. It was muffled, but it was definitely talking.

And so, he made his decision.

The only drawback to this was that the vent-line he'd gone in was a lot smaller and more cramped than the others. He could barely get through it. His shoulders scraped against the metal linings, causing a harsh chill to run along his spine. The whole situation was making his body feel sick and indecisive. But he had to go on.

As he neared a soft light, he hit a bolt with his head, causing him to release a hiss of pain as his hair got caught. He lifted his hands as best he could and tried to untangle himself, but it was no use. It hurt his limbs terribly to have to bend the way they were, so he finally just sucked in a breath and yanked his head forward, making a sound of displeasure as his cornflower hair was ripped out. It was only a small clump, but it still hurt.

He desperately tried to keep his movements as quiet as he could, but that was hardly possible. His foot jutted out and slammed against the wall of the vent, causing a horrible sound to come out. It was almost like it was crying out its agony at being so roughly struck. Mariku jerked his foot back, listening to the loud echoing that remained. He winced. He moved his eyes so they were looking ahead. He could see the figures of humans, standing around and talking. They suddenly shifted, and the noises from their mouths ceased.

"What was that?" one asked.

"Sounded like something fell in there." another replied.

It was then the three forms looked to each other, asking the silent question in unison.

Mariku could almost feel their suspicion starting to sink in, so he slammed his foot against the same spot again. The beings all turned back to look.

They wouldn't be able to see him, Mariku knew, unless they got something to stand on and peeked in with a light of sorts. He was safe from peeping eyes at the moment.

Waiting for a short period of time, like before, he banged the poor metal lining again with his foot. He waited, counting out the seconds, before doing it again.

Finally, the humans spoke up again.

"I think something must be caught in the fan," was the voice of reason.

"Hey, I'll go check it out." another said.

"I'll help." the second answered.

"I'll just follow you guys. I need some more coffee." the third added, somewhat humorously.

Mariku could see the other two stare at the third, before they all left, talking amongst themselves. And for good measure, Mariku smacked the side again, before scuttling forwards, trying to ram the vent cage open so he could exit into the room.

It wouldn't budge.

And so, the alien got a sudden idea. He made his way backwards, since there was no room to turn around, and stopped when he came to his forgotten lump of hair. He reached up painfully and started trying to turn the bolt so it loosened. When it finally started to, his hair fell from it. It took a few moments, but he was finally able to get the screw out of its wedge. He moved back to the vent cage and started pressing the screw against the lining of it. When he was able to see light spill through, he knew that the bolt was now lodged in a way that made the cage bend off of its track. He grinned and then slammed against it. Nothing happened, so he pressed his feet hard against the sides of the vent and then pushed as hard as he could forward.

The vent cage shuddered and fell off.

The bronzed man thanked the deities that the other bolts that were holding it on were old, rusted, and loose.

Gently he started his crawl out. But then it hit him. If he kept moving forward, he would fall on his head, since there was nothing to grab onto to prevent such a thing from happening. But he couldn't turn around and go out feet first... He growled low in his throat, deciding that he would just have to take a few bruises.

There was a heavy thud as he hit the floor.

Thankfully, he missed hitting his head, but he did land on his arm wrong. Shaking off the pain, Mariku looked around the room, eyes taking in everything. There was nothing in here but a few desks and chairs. Scattered papers laid everywhere, but nothing like that would be of any use to Mariku.

Opening to door, he looked around, seeing no one. He made his way down the hallway, bare feet not making any noise. Something caught his eyes as he passed a room. There was a small television-type screen with a keyboard resting before it. He recognized it as what he'd seen other people typing at as he'd passed other offices earlier.

Making sure no one was around he slunk into the room. There was a black screen with a colorful box shifting into different angles floating about. He frowned and tilted his head. How strange.

He reached out his hand and rested it on the oval object that fit in his hand nicely. The screen suddenly went away. He was left with a large view of folders. He frowned, scrolling down through the list. Nothing in any of them even rang a bell in his head. He clicked out of the window and then looked around on the main screen.

It was then something caught his eye in a way that made a plotting glint come forth.

"Why, hello there, pretty thing..." he purred, smirk slowly working onto his features.

And it was there that he began on his long journey of messing up everything in the core computer's files.

---

Yuugi stepped under the shade of a thick-leafed tree, not really taking much notice as he stared around at everyone around him. The new information was burning into his mind. If Yami truly had no right in to be in this country, and no way of knowing he was safe to be around...

_No!_ he cried in his mind. _I let Yami sit close to me, play my videogames with me, sleep in the same house as me, and eat next to me. I even let him hug me! Even though it wasn't really a hug, but still!_

There was just no way Yami was harmful to anyone. He would have been able to tell.

He sighed and looked up, not having realized that he'd even looked down to begin with.

But if the three had no information on them period... then... how did they get into Japan...? And how many other people had gotten in without right? It caused a shudder to run through him. His trust in the running of security sure dropped.

Suddenly he heard a familiar shout.

"Yuugi! Oi, Yuugi!"

The star-haired boy turned, seeing a stock of dirty-blonde hair attached to a scruffy-looking teen come barreling towards him. He instantly recognized the male.

"Jounouchi-kun!" he greeted, letting the other ruffle his hair fondly. But slowly the boy's excitement on seeing his friend began to fade. His eyes glazed and he looked very solemn.

The blonde noticed right away. "Hey, man, what's wrong?" he asked, the concern of a tender older brother washing over him. Something bad hadn't happened, right? But then... _No, Yuugi doesn't act like this unless something's really bothering him..._

Yuugi turned his gray eyes up to meet his best friend's honey ones. "Jounouchi-kun... Something's happened..."

---

He couldn't believe this. He just couldn't believe this. Now he was alone and had no idea where everyone else was. Ryou sighed, resting his head in his hands. He sat forlornly on the curb of some street, having searched around for his friend. He used the singular version of the word, because he was referring to Yuugi, not those other three indecent creatures. Well, he hadn't really met Yami that well, so he didn't know about that guy.

But, if one wanted to get technical about it, he _wasn't_ alone. In fact, he was surrounded by hundreds of people hustling and bustling about. And Malik. But Malik didn't count anymore. The fair-haired boy was too angry at his Egyptian companion to really think about him at the moment.

That's right. He had finally admitted to himself that he was now utterly completely over the boy. Yup. No more crushes for him.

If only it were that easy.

He lifted his hand and rested it over his heart, as a lovesick lover would do. Why couldn't Malik get past his own thick-headedness? It hurt so badly to even think about what the tanned teen had said to him... He hadn't meant it to hurt Ryou, but it had. It had, so much that the said boy had run off and left the very confused Malik back at that small little store.

And he had looked away for only a few moments, and Yuugi, the three strangers, and the police were gone. He was sure that they were down at a station, but he didn't exactly know _precisely_ where that place was.

He sighed and rested his hands on his cheeks, so he could hold his face up.

Today sucked.

---

Mariku had just finished when he heard faint voices. His head shot up and he quickly got away from the computer, leaving the room in a scramble. Once he found his way back to the room he'd come out of the vent in, he quickly used a table to boost himself up so he was able to reach the vent cage. But... Oh, no! He'd broken it. He quickly looked down and then picked up the item, pressing it up against the vent, making sure it would stay (even if someone so much as banged on the wall it would fall back down), and then got off the table and turned towards the door. The voices were too close. He jogged over to the opened door of the room, and hid behind it. He could always plea insanity, or say he had simply gotten lost. But... then if they brought him back to where he was supposed to be, then... Oh, he'd figure it out when it happened!

Two of the three men had come back into the room, talking in an annoyed manner. "They didn't even check it out for us," one muttered.

"'Well, _I_ don't hear anything,'" the other mocked, making a face.

Mariku began to sweat. As soon as the two were far enough in, with their backs to the door, he made his move and ran. Surprisingly, they didn't see him.

"Have to find a way back... Yami and Baku-Baku must be so worried!"

He heard another set of voices and then stopped. He made sure the coast was clear before making his way into an empty room. He quietly shut the door and then looked back. Aha! There was a vent! And all vents lead to the same place, right?

And so, he moved a chair up under the said escape route and began to work on getting the screws out.

---

"Will you stop that?" the Prince hissed, glaring at the white-haired male beside him. Bakura had been tapping his foot constantly against the floor, and the never-ending movement made Yami quite annoyed.

The culprit glared heatedly at the other, but the tapped ceased.

The questioners hadn't gotten much of anything out of them since Mariku left, and the silence was becoming increasingly more awkward. The door suddenly opened the there stood the woman officer, looking like she was in a huff. Her hands were on her hips and her face was slightly red.

"He'd been in there nearly ten minutes! One of you come and get him out of there." she snapped, earning a raised eyebrow from both Bakura and Yami. Knowing Mariku, though, he was causing more trouble than his little trip was worth.

The standing officer agreed and left with her, now having to listen to her rant.

The tri-hair-colored man leaned back into his uncomfortable chair and sighed, rubbing at his temples. This was going to be another long day, wasn't it?

Suddenly, all of the three occupants of the room heard a loud clunking going by above them. All of them stared, listening to the echoing clangs. The officer frowned and stood, staring directly at the vent pipe going through the room against the ceiling.

Suddenly it clicked what that might be.

Yami turned back to share another look with his irritating companion. "That can't be good, can it?"

If that really was Mariku, then there was absolutely no way that he would be able to get back in time to make it look like he'd just happened to stay in the same room for those long minutes.

That was it.

They were finished.

And Mariku would be the first to fry.

**.:Chapter end:.**

...Yeah. So basically nothing happened in this chapter. But I suddenly got the urge to write, and got this all out in one day. WHEE.

So, what do you all think's gonna happen? I love hearing what everyone thinks! Please review!

Cecilia


	12. Missing Links

**.:Chapter twelve - Missing Links:.**

"He went in there, and hasn't come out for ten minutes."

The other rolled his eyes. "He probably just had to take a crap..." he muttered, starting to open the door. "The guy doesn't seem smart enough to do anything other than that." He paused for a second, blinking. "Then again, maybe he got lost in there." A smirk. "Send a search party if I don't come back."

And he went inside.

The woman rolled her brown eyes, blowing some hair from her face. "Jerk." 

The culprit wasn't in plain sight... at all. "Damn," the interrogator hissed, looking around. He then moved to the stalls, looking under each one. "Hey, if anyone's in here, let me know!" he hollered, banging on each door as he went by.

Nothing. 

"Damn it!"

Suddenly, a faint noise was heard. The man walked quickly to the last stall and looked under it, seeing a pair of boots. He glared. "Open this door!"

Still no answer.

And so, the man did the only thing he found left to do.

He rammed the door in.

There was a shriek from the inside, as the door flew open and nearly smacked the occupant in the face. "Privacy! Do you not know of privacy!"

The man stepped back, almost shocked to see the brown-skinned man sitting there, covering himself, pants down and feet planted in those boots. 

There was a growl, but no eye contact to the being at all. "You should have answered me when I said to. Now get up, you've had enough time. I don't want you causing anymore trouble than you have."

And the man turned, walking away, leaving Mariku whining on his seat. "Meanie..."

--- 

It was a very tense silence that was cut into when the door was thrown open suddenly. "Found 'im." And Mariku was pushed in, stumbling on his feet.

Yami and Bakura shared looks of relief, though somewhat irritated nonetheless.

"Now sit down. We haven't gotten anywhere thanks to you all. You're being ridiculous... and if you'd answer the questions, we'd have a lot less trouble."

Yami swallowed hard, his Adams apple moving roughly. Mariku brushed himself off and then sat down in his seat. This done, he set to playing with his pale friend's hair. Bakura growled slightly and tried to pull away, but tanned hands kept him where he was. Another growl, this time lower and louder -- sounding very much like an angry cat -- came forth. But once again, Mariku ignored the warning. Bakura turned his head around and snapped at the man with his teeth, still growling in his throat.

Yami backed his chair away a bit, knowing better than to stay too close to an impending brawl. The two officers glanced at each other, before they both moved to pull the aliens apart.

"You have some guts trying to start a fight in a police station." one said, almost pompously.

Bakura hissed, his fangs showing to all in the room. The man holding him back faltered slightly. These kids were _freaky_.

Mariku just whined a bit, and struggled his way out of the officer's grasp, moving back to his seat. "'Kura doesn't love me..." he said, his voice thick with emotion. His eyes gleamed, tears rimming them. "I -- I..." and here he burst into quiet sobbing. 

The two police-clad men had no idea how to react.

This man was obviously insane and in need of help. Maybe they should call the hospital...?

While the black-haired humans were busy with their own thoughts, Mariku lifted his head slightly, and made eye contact with Yami.

"Ask about our files again," he mouthed, making sure the two men didn't see. Bakura, who had just jerked his way out of the policeman's grasp, didn't catch this at all. He was fuming, his anger almost tangibly coming off of him in waves. He was already pissed off, and Mariku acting stupid -- as usual -- wasn't helping _at all_.

Yami was somewhat shocked and anxious at the other's request. _'Dear gods, what has he done...?'_ But regardless, he nodded. This seemed like the only thing that they _could_ do at the moment... But that didn't mean he was nervous. What if there was still nothing? What if... what if they were figured out...?

"You're sure there's nothing on us in your computers?" the prince asked one of the officers, a look of slight concern on his face.

The black-haired man just blew a strand of greased hair from his face. "Yes, we've looked and looked. But we'll look again if it'll make you happy," he said, though he didn't sound entirely joyous himself. These three were the most suspicious acting people they'd had come in, in a while. A long while. He sighed and opened the door, leaning out of it and shouting to the same female officer as before.

"Hey, Thu? Would you do _another_ check up on these guys?"

The woman turned in her chair and glared at him. "I swear, you target me for every ounce of busy work in this whole place." she muttered before turning back around and typing quickly at her keyboard. Her eyes scanned the screen, flipping through the thousands of names and identities. Suddenly her brow furrowed. "Hey, what'd you say the names were?"

"Bakura, Yami and Mark, I think..."

The tanned male behind him coughed loudly into his hand. "There is no one of the name Mark here, sir." he said, a sweet smile on his face. "But there _is_ a Mariku."

The other sighed. "Bakura, Yami, and _Mariku_, are their names." he corrected, before muttering under his breath. "That's what they said, anyway."

He obviously didn't believe that anything that came out of the three's mouths was even an ounce of truth.

The brown-eyed woman frowned more. "I don't remember seeing this one last time I checked..." he whispered to herself, before her eyes moved back to her partner, who was standing around twenty feet away. "I think our main computer might have glitched out..." she said.

The man's eyebrows fell, almost mirroring her expression. "What do you mean?" he asked, this time walking towards her and leaning over her chair, staring at the screen. She clicked on the file and opened it, revealing an almost complete background check on "Bakura Touzoukuou."

Both looked at each other. The man lifted a hand to scratch at his head, not understanding how the computer could have "glitched out" in the first place. He scanned everything over, but there appeared to be nothing missing other than a recent picture of the guy's face. But... this didn't make sense! The picture that was of the guy... it looked almost the same, but different hair... _Completely_ different hair.

Mumbling to himself, the man read. "Touzoukuou, Bakura... Age twenty-three... Eyes, brown... hair, blonde... But the kid has silver hair." He paused, glancing back over his shoulder at the three in the other room. None of them were even looking his way. He went back to reading. "Birthplace, California; current job, none..."

He'd seen enough.

"Check the other two," he demanded, and Thu let out an almost irritated sound, though she was puzzled too. Next there was "Mariku Bahir". Born in Thebes, Egypt; twenty-four but has no job... Then came "Yami Oumono". Twenty-three and recently quit a job, and was born in Liverpool, England.

"The pictures don't look like them at all!" the man hissed. Okay, the faces did... look similar, but... The hair, and eyes... He heaved a heavy breath and rubbed at his temple. It have everything down to their social security number... It even showed the records of their plane tickets to Japan!

Frustrated, he turned and walked back into the room, shutting the door a bit loud. "Okay, so your identifications check out... But why the sudden change of hair?" he asked, eyeing them. This smelled off. Very much so.

"As a celebration for getting to travel here on vacation, we went to a shop to get 'modified'," Mariku chirped happily, pointing at Yami's ear, the prince too stunned to do anything at the moment, but somehow managing to keep a cool face. "We all got a makeover!" he continued, still pointing at the other.

Bakura was still glaring at the wall, though he was shocked as well. Somehow... Somehow Mariku had made them files. Had made them identities... He just hoped that the other didn't make him look to be an idiot, or he'd tear his tanned friend a second hole in the ass.

The officer, who hadn't been able to look at the computer files, gave his companion an odd glance. The other just huffed and snapped, "They check out fine. Nothing strange at all."

He turned his eyes to the three once more. "Except that you wouldn't answer our questions in the first place. Don't you think it would have saved us all a lot of trouble?"

Mariku shrugged.

Yami, finally starting to get his wits about him, shrugged. "I suppose... we're still in a bit of shock," he answered, trying to make up a believable explanation. "What with just getting to a place we've never been to before, and getting our things stolen... Then finding them and winding up in trouble."

He hoped that sounded at least a bit plausible.

"Now can we get our stuff back?" snapped Bakura from his chair. He had to keep playing his role of a pissy young man so they wouldn't suspect anything. He wasn't too angry at the moment... But still. He wanted out of here.

Their answer was two unbelieving looks from the two officers that had been, and were, hammering them with questions.

It didn't take too much longer before they were walking out of the doors with their bags in tow, the man who stole them going to have a nice, long talk with some very frustrated police officers.

After they were clear of all trouble, Yami turned, eyeing Mariku heavily. "What exactly did you do?" he asked, now holding a new respect for the seemingly insane man. The blonde only frowned, tilting his head as if confused.

"Mariku did something?" he asked, pointing at himself to clarify. Yami's face dropped.

"You know what? Never mind... it's probably best that you didn't tell us, anyway."

Just then the short prince was nearly barreled over by a blur that looked strangely familiar. "Oh, Yami! I'm so sorry I thought bad about you!" Yuugi cried, hugged the older man. Said man blinked, highly shocked at the other's clingy behavior.

"It's fine... I'm not mad," he answered, not really knowing what else to say. What had Yuugi thought about him, anyway...? What had the police told him?

The gray-eyed teen suddenly pulled back, feeling awkward. "Sorry, but... I'm just glad that you're out of there... They realized you three were innocent, right? And you got your stuff back!" he asked, now looking over the other two aliens.

Yami smiled and nodded, before his own eyes moved over, meeting the honey-brown ones belonging to the male standing behind Yuugi, hands in his pockets and blonde hair mussed. He smiled and waved at them.

"Yuugi's been telling me about you guys. Sorry to hear you're having such trouble on your second day here! Geez. The cops don't do a very good job, huh?" he joked, though part of it was serious. He knew from personal experience... but now wasn't the time. He had comforted Yuugi when the boy had confided in him, and it seemed to put him at ease. They were heading down to the police station to check up on them when they saw the three walking out, unharmed for the most part.

Suddenly he noticed something and glanced up, seeing two other familiar figures coming down the street. "Hey, it's Ryou and Malik!" he called, waving energetically at the two, before pushing his way past the group and jogging towards them. "Hey, guys!" he grinned, now oblivious to Yuugi and the aliens behind him.

Ryou smiled lightly at the loving dirty-blonde, before holding out his hands. "Yuugi told you about this morning, right?" he asked. Malik stood behind him, looking down at the ground. He seemed a bit guilty, but of _what_ was obvious.

Jounouchi blinked, reaching out to touch the finely painted glass flowerpot. "Uh, about the police-fiasco, yeah... But what's this for?" he asked, confused.

Ryou smiled and was about to explain before Yuugi came running up next to Jounouchi, the three newcomers following at a more relaxed rate.

"Oh, my God! Ryou! You found one! Oh, Thank you so much!" he gasped, now hugging his light-complexioned friend; avoiding very carefully the highly breakable treasure.

Malik snorted, still not looking up, while Ryou's smile got bigger, unable to hug his friend back since he was holding the pot.

The whole scene seemed to be like the ending to a corny movie -- everything was fine and dandy and everyone was happy and all problems were sorted out... And it would have stayed that way, had the moment not been interrupted by a rather loud growling. All heads turned to look at Mariku, who was staring down sadly at his stomach.

"I'm hungry..."

Bakura snorted and threw his bag over his shoulder, carrying it like a student might a backpack. "Then let's go get something to eat before you start whining any more," he muttered.

Yami nodded, seeing a general agreement among the group. "Besides," he added, making Mariku turn to look at him. "You've earned it."

**.:Chapter end:.**

It's rushed... highly... I'll go back and revise it tomorrow... It's past midnight, here! I have to get some sleep before I DIE tomorrow at school! xD

Um... yeah. Sorry guys, but they're not out of the deep end, yet! Stay tuned to see what other problems they get into! And thank you all SO much for reviewing! I love you all... seriously. Heh, but if you wanna see my random babblings or updates on my life and fanfiction(s), then go to my profile and I have a link to an online journal (from Gaia... ha!) that I keep regularly updated.

Hope you guys are having a good school year so far (if you've started back). I am... kinda. xD But I'll shut up now. Hope you all enjoyed chapter twelve of Illegal Aliens! I'll try to update soon!

-Cecilia


	13. Caught In the Act

**.:Chapter thirteen - Caught In the Act :.**

"So... this is a 'hamburger'?" Yami asked, staring down at the food item. Yuugi nodded enthusiastically, already having his unwrapped and halfway to his mouth. He never even stopped to wonder what kind of place hadn't heard of hamburgers before. In fact, the group of three Earthlings was getting so used to the other three asking so many questions, almost anything seemed normal to ask... almost.

Had Jounouchi not been in the men's restroom at the moment, he most likely would have butted in on this oddity and brought it into the proper light.

Regardless, Yuugi showed his joy on the subject by cheering a happy, "Yup! My favorite food!"

Ryou was either ignoring this conversation or oblivious to it as he was poking at his French-fries listlessly. He wasn't really all that hungry, which was most likely the effect of having far too much on his mind. He lifted the fry to his mouth and was about to bite down into it before he was suddenly holding nothing but air. He blinked, his mind not quite processing what had happened.

Mariku, who was sitting across from him, now had a French fry -- which he did not order any in the first place, mind you -- and was grinning happily at it, eyes shining. He opened his mouth and got ready to shove the fattening morsel in, when he was suddenly slapped on the back of the head. He yelped and then started to whine like a newborn that was about to start a crying fit. A _loud_ one.

Bakura was glaring at him, his former thanks for the other forgotten for the moment, and his irritation from earlier back. "Don't take his food, stupid." he snapped, before going back to glaring at everyone else.

Ah, the joys of Bakura.

Ryou blinked at the other fair-haired male, not having expected that outburst. The other sure was an enigma... He was a heartless jerk one minute, then the next he was sleeping like a baby cuddled up to a stuffed bunny plushie! But... thankfully, he seemed to be starting to come out of his shell. And Bakura, dare he admit it, stuck up for him! Yeah, sure it was just a stupid French-fry... but that wasn't the point.

At least he wasn't being a heartless jerk. Ryou certainly liked him better that way, and he would have liked the whole situation a lot better if the two were going to be staying with him another night. He wasn't even sure why he was considering this, but he was. Besides... Yuugi was right. They couldn't just leave these guys without a place to stay, right?

But then again... they _had_ gotten their things back... didn't that mean that they also got their money back, as well? So now they would be able to get their own place to stay at. This both comforted Ryou and made him feel odd. After staying a night with Mariku and Bakura, he almost wasn't sure he wanted to stay at home... all alone. Even though they seemed to cause nothing but trouble, Ryou wasn't _alone_ in the house. And he had something other than reading or thinking to do.

Yeah, thinking was nice, but that seemed to be the only thing that he had to occupy himself with! And that was almost enough to drive him insane. And he certainly didn't want to end up like Mariku.

But... maybe it was best that they get a hotel or something. But still... he couldn't help but feel lonely. Even now, when he was surrounded by his long-time friends and three complete strangers, along with hundreds of other people eating and talking and walking by and living their owns lives. Yes... maybe it was for the best... after all, he was supposed to be mad at Mariku. That man had taken away what he wanted most -- what he _needed_ most.

Malik.

But, for some reason, that didn't hurt as much as he thought it should. He'd just had his dreams of a future love life brutally shattered, right? Wasn't he supposed to get all depressed and lock himself in his room and watch soap operas while eating self-purchased boxed chocolate?

He gasped and let out a small yelp of surprise when something unexpectedly knocked him in the head. "Hey!" he shouted, rubbing the offended spot, trying to rid it of the stinging. Okay, so it hadn't really _hurt_, but it didn't feel good, either! Jounouchi laughed a bit nervously.

"Hey, sorry, didn't mean to hurtcha," he apologized, lifting a hand to rub the back of his own head (though sheepishly instead of pained), mussing up the blonde locks even more than previously.

Ryou pouted, eyebrows creasing. "Then why did you?" he asked, even though, as previously stated, it did really hurt much.

The other grinned, reaching out and tapping the white-haired teen's nose -- gently this time. "Because! You were zoning out real bad. Been calling your name a good few times, and you didn't even notice! You were starting to worry me." he explained, though he obviously hadn't been _that_ worried.

Ryou glanced down at his cooled food and felt his face heat slightly. Had he really been that wrapped up in his own thoughts...? He glanced up, his hair shading his face. "Sorry," he answered. "What was it you needed, anyway?"

The blonde's grin widened and he leaned over the table, snaking an arm around the other's neck. He leaned in further, forcing Ryou to rise up out of his seat a bit to keep from getting his head pulled off. "Well," Jounouchi began slyly, "I was just wondering if you were gonna eat your food. Because it's a mighty big shame to let it get _too_ cold..."

"That's our Jounouchi! Always thinking with his stomach." Yuugi smiled, finding the whole thing highly amusing. To his right sat the ever-treasured flowerpot, and to his left sat Yami, who was now working on his drink. The food here really was delicious! The food back on Althasia was meant to give the body protein and nutrition, and wasn't very big on appealing taste... But the food here seemed to be the opposite.

You can pretty much guess which one he preferred.

The honey-eyed male waved his hand in Yuugi's direction, as if saying he didn't mind the comment at all. "Best thing to think with!" he countered, before turning back to Ryou. "So, you gonna eat that?"

The paler of the two made a face, before shaking his head. "Take it. I'm not really as hungry as I thought I was." And he was finally let go of and allowed to sit back down. When his rear made contact with the chair, he let out a sigh, tipping his head back. Jounouchi was a good friend, and could always be counted as a loyal companion, but... Ryou like him better when the other _wasn't_ hanging onto him. No offense meant to him at all, but he smelled like a guy who hadn't changed his shirt in days.

Malik had yet to say a word. He just sat at the corner of the table, not really looking at anyone, and looking deep in thought. Ryou frowned. '_Why didn't they hit _him_ instead of me?_' But that thought slid away quickly as he realized he was staring right into the other's lilac eyes. He looked away as fast as he could, not even wanting to _see_ his ex-crush's eyes. He was still pretty miffed at him, anyways.

Then a very un-Jounouchi-like scent wafted his way. He lifted his head and glanced around, wondering where it was coming from. It smelled good. Like, _really_ good. It couldn't be himself -- he wouldn't have been able to smell it, it if was _him_ that smelled... good _or_ bad. It was almost like... cream. Or something cold and refreshing on a hot day. Like a malt... or something. It was hard to describe. He was just about to ask if anyone else smelled it, when he was interrupted by an exclamation.

"We should have a party!"

Well... was that really worth interrupting his smell-question for? Ryou thought not. And plus, he wasn't big on parties.

But then Yuugi agreed happily.

"That sounds great, Jounouchi! It should be a sleepover, though. Those are a lot more fun."

And why was everyone agreeing to this? Well, everyone save Malik and Bakura. But that was because the former was still in his own little bubble world, while the latter was just constantly pissy.

"If Grampa and Mom say it's okay, we could have it at my house!" the short teen continued, looking excited. And as much as Ryou didn't like being alone, he suddenly didn't feel like being around anyone. He just wanted to figure out what that delicious smell was.

"Right on! Malik, Ryou and I'll meet you there in an hour!" Jounouchi volunteered, not even asking if it was okay with them.

And so, here he was; dragged into something he didn't want to do.

Again.

Figures.

---

A man sat in a wheeled-chair, his feet resting up in the table in a highly informal manner. He had his hands behind his head in a very lazy-like fashion, eyes dropped in either boredom or exhaustion; it was hard to tell. Those eyes started to slide shut, body relaxing further. Today was slow, so what would it harm if he took a small nap? He continued to crawl into a light sleep, when something landed on his face. His eyes jerked open, and he swatted at the tickling sensation. A small frizz of white-blonde hair floated down to his shirt, where it made its new home. He frowned. He certainly didn't have blonde hair, at least not last time he checked. Which was no longer than an hour ago. (He'd been trying to impress the woman working in the department above his. She was such a cutie!)

He looked up, and promptly fell over in his chair, letting out a shout as a _very_ loud bang issued forth. He grasped his heart as he looked around, noticing the filter had fallen off the vent. The dark-haired man continued to breath roughly, trying to assure himself that, had there been an actual emergency, he wouldn't have pissed his pants like he almost had just then. He then got angry at the damn thing for startling him so badly in the first place. It had probably come off because of bad installation, or something. It hadn't been too long ago that they'd gotten new vent-cages.

But then another few hairs flew in his face as he went to inspect the evil thing. He almost girlishly flailed his hand, like most people would with a bug.

Okay, this was ridiculous.

He growled softly to himself. "Damn hair... who the hell has blonde hair?"

But it was then that he noticed the screws lying on the carpet. He picked one up and turned it all angles for his eyes to see. He frowned. Nothing wrong with them. They looked normal; not too small -- which is why he figured they had come out in the first place. He looked up to the open vent. The air-conditioning was on, and it was causing cold air to blast through the said vent.

Another hair fell out.

"What the hell?" he asked no one, now confused and intrigued. He turned and grabbed his chair, wheeling it over so that he could stand on it and check this out. He couldn't really see much of anything, but after a few more seconds, he spotted a rather large clump of hair. It looked like it was caught on something.

A chunk flew off and smacked him in the face.

"That's it," he growled, getting off the chair, hand touching the table just to the left of being directly under the vent. He hissed and took his hand back. He'd placed it on something sharp. After he looked down to see why, he noticed some dirt on it.

And a footprint.

His eyes widened. Common sense was enough to tell anyone what had happened.

And so, he promptly turned, leaving the room, quick ready to inform others that he thought there was an escaped man up in the vents.

---

Thu sipped her coffee, obviously not caring very much when the man from the other end of the station came running up to her, hair mussed and out of breath.

"I think there's someone in the vents!" he said quickly. The people in the general area looked over, some startled, others rolling their eyes.

This guy was always paranoid.

The brown-haired woman set her cup down, crossing her legs. She stared at the man before her. "You know, uh," he paused, forgetting the man's name. He was from America, but didn't have blonde hair or blue eyes to show for it. The one time they had talked, he'd rambled on and on about how he had some Russian blood in him or something. Psht. Like she really cared.

"Sean." he answered, not missing a beat.

Thu cleared her throat, shrugging her shoulders. "Yes, Sean... You know, when you go around saying things like this all the time --"

"But I have proof this time!" he interrupted, looking almost... proud. And scared. Poor guy. He seemed to be trying to impress her.

The woman nodded, glancing over. "Okay... care to tell me?" she urged, though she didn't really look too interested. Idly, she thought that maybe she should suggest he be moved to another section of town...

"Well, there was this blonde hair in the vent! And the vent filter was pushed off its hinges, and, and," he said, trying to think of some more information. Thu actually looked a bit more concerned now. And he suddenly felt stupid. "Oh! And of course... how could I forget? There was this dirty footprint on the table next to it..."

Well, honestly, it had really been more of a... clean spot. Since the table had been so dusty to begin with. But the footprint had had some dirt and stuff that had come off on the table, so it could be considered dirty...? Oh, well. Maybe it was a good thing no one ever cleaned that table. Otherwise, the situation wouldn't be what it was at the very moment.

The dark-haired female nodded, frowning slightly. Then she leaned back in her chair, her computer making a few soft whirring noises from beside her. "But why would someone wander all the way into your side of the building just to climb into the vent?" she asked. It was possible, but... she wanted to make sure it was also logical.

Sean blinked, then pressed his teeth together, his jaw stiffening because of this. "Well, my section has the mainframe computer system with all the importa--"

Thu stood up. Something in her mind had clicked, and she suddenly saw the image of Mariku, smiling innocently at her, as he was lead to the bathroom. And how he had been in the restroom way too long. 'Way too long' being just long enough for an expert hacker to get into the locked computer files and change a few things. She quickly grabbed the front of Sean's shirt, dragging him off. He sputtered, stumbling slightly but kept his awkward footing as he followed. What was Thu doing! His face flushed slightly. She was almost touching him... He could feel her thin fingers against his chest.

By the time they got to the bathrooms, Sean had a semi-retarded look on his face, but snapped out of it quickly as the woman dragging him along practically stormed into the men's restroom.

Dignity and moral values be damned; she was going to see for herself if there was really a connection.

"Wh-what are you doing!" he asked, completely shocked. Why was she... and he... both in the men's restroom?

There was a man at a urinal who glanced over his shoulder when he heard the ruckus. His eyes widened as he saw the woman (and fellow officer) in there, and quickly zipped himself up, muttering something as he left. He didn't even wash his hands. Ew.

Thu pushed Sean up against the wall, and his mind suddenly filled with some naughty images. Or stuff he'd seen in movies. This was like... a very weird fantasy, almost! But she didn't seem to share his imaginative views and left him against the wall as she threw open the stall, looking into each one. When she got to the last one, her eyes narrowed.

There was a pair of dirty, and slightly smudged footprints on the toilet seat. And right above that, was a crooked-looking vent-cover, the screws just barely hanging in enough to keep it there.

"Sean, would you mind getting the chief, please? I think he'd like to know about this..."

---

Yuugi ran downstairs when he heard the all-too familiar ring of someone walking into the shop. He was quite obviously excited about having a sleepover, since he'd rarely had any. Yami had stayed in the living room, sitting on the chair Yuugi had slept in. He was holding the television remote in his hand, hitting the channel-change buttons, watching in a bored-yet-intrigued way at everything that the outdated (for him anyway,) piece of technology had to offer. He stopped and turned when he heard voices and saw Jounouchi walk in, a worn overnight bag in tow and hanging over his shoulder. He grinned at Yami, waving at him. The prince smiled and waved back. The blonde was a truly nice man. Yami could tell already that he had a good heart and was a loyal friend.

Behind him came Ryou, who looked a bit nervous, but at the same time content. Yami stood up, setting the remote down. He stretched a little before moving to greet them. It was only polite, after all.

Mariku came in behind Ryou, holding a very large bag in his arms. Bakura was behind him, grumbling about something that sounded suspiciously like, "stupid pack-mule".

Yuugi was about to ask if Malik was going to be coming, since the Egyptian didn't seem to be with the group at all, or even remotely close behind them, but then he noticed something.

Yami looked uneasy.

The younger boy blinked at him, quite confused. The Althasian was staring straight at the television, like it was ready to jump at him and attack or something. Yuugi turned, eyeing the screen. On it was a news report, and the woman who was talking said that there were three escaped men who were possibly armed and dangerous.

Yuugi smiled, placing a hand on Yami's arm. "It's okay. These things are usually cleared up in a day or two. And they never really happen around our area or anything."

But that didn't seem to quell the prince's look at all. In fact, he turned away from the screen, starting to move away from Yuugi as well. The boy... he was so kind, but he had no idea what was going on.

"Yami..." Yuugi began, a bit hurt that he'd been blown off like that. He was just trying to help, after all, and --

"The names that they go by are Oumono Yami, Touzoukuou Bakura, and Bahir Mariku."

That certainly shut the room up pretty fast. Yuugi, Ryou, and Jounouchi were staring at the three convicted criminals with wide eyes, all of which were unbelieving and shocked.

Yami, Bakura, and Mariku all looked like they just got caught with their hands in the metaphorical cookie jar.

**.: Chapter end :.**

Grr. I stayed up for hours typing this. I checked the first half, but rushed the second. I hope it's suitable! I also tried to make it a bit longer-ish to make up for other chapters? Ugh.

Anyway, sorry for the long span of no updating... Almost lost our internet because of money problems. But it looks like we're going to get to keep it for a while longer. (Yey!)

I'll try to get the next chapter out quicker! Again, sorry for the wait...

-Cecilia

EDIT: xD I would like to thank Andyouthinkimcrazy, since they alerted me to the fact that Mariku did, indeed, take off his boots beforehand. Whee. Thanks a bunch! I probably wouldn't have ever noticed that at all... Silly me! It's fixed, now. And I looked over this chapter, fixing any type-os that were in it (or that I could find anyways). If any of you guys see errors, let me know! It helps a lot. Thanks!


	14. Unchangeable Fate

**.: Chapter fourteen – Unchangeable Fate :.**

Yami suddenly felt very hot under the collar and highly uncomfortable. His eyes met Yuugi's and the boy looked hurt and confused. And slightly scared. The prince winced, not wanting to see that look ever again.

"I suppose now's not the time to say this is a very big misunderstanding...?"

Yuugi turned around, looking almost like a zombie or someone who was on autopilot as he started to walk away from the group, back turned on them. Yami frowned, but honestly couldn't blame Yuugi at all. On the television were pictures of their faces from the security cameras, the woman continuing to explain the situation to the public.

This sure didn't look good for the three.

Ryou now looked horrified, knowing he'd housed two criminals -- possibly murderers! -- like he'd suspected in the first place. And like Malik had said in the beginning. Was it a good or a bad thing he wasn't here right now...? Regardless of being pissed off at him, Ryou knew the Egyptian could fight. And, uh... if something happened...

Yeah.

Though Jounouchi hadn't met them very long ago, _how could they be criminals_, he wondered. But whether or not they really were, he'd defend his friends tooth and nail.

After a few moments of stunned and sinking-in silence, a quiet voice finally pressed on. "I thought you three walked out of there without a problem." Yuugi murmured, referring to the whole police-station adventure. "I thought they _let_ you leave."

Mariku had wandered over to another spot in the living room, while Bakura was glaring at the carpet, looking miffed and lost in thought. This left Yami alone to defend them. "They... did, Yuugi." he said, feeling very awkward right now. He never thought this would blow up into something this big...

Yuugi turned around; gray eyes looking pained and highly upset. "Then why are you on the news as criminals!" he nearly shouted (well, he _did_ shout it, but we're going to pretend that he still had self-control), pointing at the television, which was now doing a story on pollution.

The prince winced and turned his head to the side, not looking at the boy. The younger was so trusting... no wonder it hurt so much knowing that he was lied to. And since he'd been around them for nearly two days, it was almost... hard, to act scared of them. Never once had they hurt the Earthlings... Well, not physically.

"Would you... give us room to talk; to explain?" Yami asked, truly needing to have the other's word on this matter.

Yuugi frowned, but nodded; still looking highly upset. "Only if you tell the truth this time."

The regal Althasian opened his mouth to reply, when he suddenly heard a voice at his ear. "Lover's tiff." Yami gasped and jumped back, seeing that it was only Mariku (who was smiling innocently, by the way). "Make up and kiss!" he cheered, seeming far too excited.

Yuugi suddenly looked a bit sick (as well as quite mortified), while Yami was simply flustered. "Shut UP, Mariku! You're making this _worse_!"

The other's face fell. "I... thought I helped..."

"No!" Yami snapped back angrily. "You're NOT helping! You're the one who got us out of that mess, but now we're being thrown out as criminals on the news!"

No, the prince was not exceedingly happy at the moment.

Mariku, had he donned certain animal parts, would have had the ears drooped back against his skull and the tail between his legs. "I'm sorry... I really didn't mean to cause any trouble..." he said quietly, looking like a small, trusting animal that had been betrayed and beaten.

But before anyone in the room could get over how pathetic he looked and add anything, he continued. "I couldn't stop myself..." he trailed off, pulling both of his hands to rest in front of him as he turned them to face up, and opened them, revealing what they held within.

Everyone stood, shocked. Yami and Bakura couldn't believe their eyes, while the humans recognized the object, and Ryou and Yuugi had quite a large idea on where it had come from. Then again, it's not like there were many places at all that it _could_ have come from.

"You...!" Ryou was stunned. What the hell was the other thinking!

The only tanned male in the room gently held the metal to his chest, cradling it as if it were some small animal. "I couldn't help it. I just saw it, and had to have it."

"But that's a police badge!" Yuugi countered, stunned. But was this really the only reason that they were in trouble...? Then again, stealing a badge wasn't exactly a small feat, nor was it something to be laughed at. "I can't believe you..."

"How did you manage that?" Jounouchi asked, but he seemed like he really wanted to know. In the past, he had tried to get his hands on one of those, but it was out of pure spite for the men in uniform -- not because of how it looked.

All three newcomers made eye contact, and Mariku's were no longer clouded over with insanity. He swallowed and then glanced to the object he had stolen, then back to his comrades. And suddenly, it dawned on Yami and Bakura what exactly was going on.

Mariku knew -- he'd _known_ that when he had somehow managed to make them fake identifications that they were going to get caught. And even more bizarre, heseemed to know that they were going to have to explain themselves to the humans. And so he'd given them all a reason to be in trouble, at least for the moment. It might just buy them enough time to sort this mess out... somewhat. At least they had their belongings, now. In any other situation, they would have been furious with him -- stealing was one of the most dishonorable and heinous things that could take place on their planet. Rape and murder didn't even exist for them. But there might be some instances where stealing could be ignored…

"Well, the man wasn't looking, and I just reached in his pocket and grabbed it." Mariku answered to Jounouchi, though his eyes still lingered on Yami's. Then they slowly made their way to the other blonde's face. "I didn't mean to start any trouble..." Tears bubbled up into his eyes, and his nose began to run. He sniffed the snot back in pathetically, lifting a hand to wipe at it. "I... I didn't mean to..."

Here start the water-works.

But this was somewhat welcomed. After all, who could place blame on a mentally retarded person? Not anyone with a conscience, that's for sure.

And, even though they had some time bought, it was quite obvious that they were either going to have to leave or reveal themselves to the three or four humans (as aliens, not _literally_ reveal themselves -- that would boost the rating).

But for now, there was a silent sigh of relief.

"Mariku..." Yami began, before Yuugi interrupted him.

"He's taking that back. If not today, then tomorrow."

That sigh of relief just got sucked back into the their chests.

Mariku nodded, still whimpering pathetically. "Mariku promises he'll make things better." he said, voice cracking.

There was a drawn-out silence.

"So, uh... Aside from stealing a badge, any more interesting stories that you guys have to tell?" Jounouchi piped up, rubbing the back of his head. It seemed as though he were trying to change the subject.

Mariku's eyes suddenly lit up and he jumped to his feet. "Oh, there was this one time that I found this living Barlock and tried to eat it, but--"

Bakura seemed quite happy with his aim, after having hit his "friend" square in the face with his shoe. Yeah, of course they were going to have to _eventually_ let someone know about them being off-worlders, but _eventually_ didn't mean _immediately_. "You don't even know what you're saying half the time." he said to the tanned male, who was either unconscious or pretending to be.

Yami sighed, and turned to Yuugi, looking sympathetic and shaking his head. "I am very sorry about all of this. We shouldn't be causing you trouble."

The small teen sighed, shoulder slumping. "It's... okay. Just make sure everything's settled tomorrow, okay? I don't think we're allowed to have wanted criminals stay in our house after all..." He glanced up to Yami and a small -- _very_ small -- smile tugged at his lips. The taller smiled back -- a look of complete and utter thankfulness.

"You are a very kind soul."

Nervous laughter answered him. But the moment was broken when a loud voice pulled their attention. All (save Mariku) looked over at the energetic blonde as he pulled a Yo-Yo out of his pocket and threaded his finger through the loop in the string. "Hey, Yuugi! I learned this new trick! Taught it to myself!"

The star-haired boy's eyes widened and he reached out his hand in horror. "Jounouchi-kun! Don't!"

But it was too late.

A loud, shattering crash hit the room like a ton of bricks, everything -- _everything_ -- got silent. Even the wind outside stopped blowing, and the birds stopped chirping. The culprit looked like the little boy who got caught stealing cookies before a meal, knowing he was about to get the biggest lecture of his young life.

One word alone summed up this situation.

"..._Fuck_."

And, as if it wasn't bad enough, there in the doorway stood Mrs. Mutou, shopping bags in her arms, and a look of knowing horror on her face.

"My... my vase..." she croaked out. Suddenly, her eyes lit up with anger. "That's it... Out! Out of my house!"

Nobody dared question her or even hesitate as they made record speed in leaving. The last people out were Bakura and Mariku, but that was only because the latter was being carried on the first's back. Apparently he really was unconscious.

---

"Man, after all that work...!"

Yuugi wanted to cry. He really did. But he didn't even cry after being beaten bloody by bullies at school. So why should he cry now? Oh, right. Because his mother was worse than any bully. And what's worse was he had to live with her.

There weren't many words that could describe how horrible Jounouchi felt at this moment. "Yuug', I'm so sorry..."

And as upset as the boy was, he couldn't stay mad at his best friend. "I know, Jounouchi-kun... I'm not mad at you."

Ryou had his head in his hands, looking quite despondent. "Took me hours to get that thing, too! It was the last one they had…" But him saying this only seemed to make the mood worse. "But, uh… It's not like I spent very much money on it, anyway. It's not the end of the world."

"Yes it is," Yuugi moaned, sounding completely defeated. Yami gently patted him on the back, feeling sorry for the young teen. Jounouchi hung his head further at his friend's comment, feeling so utterly horrible, he couldn't even put it into words. Next to him sat Bakura, who was trying to hold himself back from maiming Mariku, who was using the police badge to reflect light into the silver-haired alien's eyes.

They were currently sitting on the curb near a bus stop, quite without a place to stay. Well, there was always Malik's place, but…

Um, no.

Then again, there was Ryou's, too. But the pale-haired teen had spoken up nervously, saying that his apartment was a junkyard (though he didn't mention why, he did let his gaze slip to the two who he had housed the previous night), and he couldn't possibly let them see.

They probably would have continued to sit there, each wrapped up in his own thing, had a voice not broken their little bubble.

"Well, well, this is certainly a motley crew. Find some new members for your pack, mutt?"

It was an instantaneous reaction where Jounouchi leapt to his feet, eyes burning and body rigid. "Look, jerk-wad, I'm having a bad day, and you'd better not…!"

The ominous figure of Seto Kaiba, trench coat-donned and brief-case holding, raised a thin, precisely plucked eyebrow. "Not what?" Then his expression changed slightly, his cold blue eyes still hateful and as arctic as ever. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I interrupt your pitiful brain trying to come up with something witty? Please, by all means continue."

Yami, Bakura, and Mariku were all staring, looking like time was frozen. As Jounouchi started shaking angrily all over, Yuugi stood up to intervene, but was knocked out of the way by Mariku.

"Seth!" he squealed – _squealed_ – and tackled the millionaire at the waist, causing him to stumble and almost fall. But that was possibly the least Kaiba-like thing he could do, and somehow managed to stay on his feet. He looked absolutely furious. "Get your sniveling idiot off of me!" he demanded, grabbing Mariku roughly and ripping him off, being anything but gentle. "How dare you touch me like that," he hissed, shoving the tanned blonde backwards where he was caught by Yuugi.

Mariku looked horrified, and then started bawling, shaking all over. "How dare –you-, Seth! You're just pretending you don't know me!" he wailed, bringing attention to them from people walking by. Not only was Seto Kaiba out, but there was some crazy man attacking him! What a show!

Kaiba's eyes dropped nearly fifty degrees in temperature. "Believe me, I wouldn't _ever_ associate myself with a psychopath like you." His voice was just as cold as his eyes.

Yami stood, and moved to where Mariku was crying in a heap and touched his slightly insane friend's arm, looking up with a glare at the brunette before him. "I'm very sorry. Forgive my friend; he's not right in the mind." It was obvious that Yami understood the situation, and what was really going on.

The elder Kaiba lifted his head a bit, nose in the air in the most a pompous way. "Make sure it doesn't happen again."

"You're such a bastard picking on people like that! You're all talk, that's what you are! I dare you to fight me!" Jounouchi shouted, lifting his fists up in front of his face. He spread his feet and bent his knees, getting into the typical Mortal Kombat fighting pose that was only ever used in street fights.

The taller scoffed, blowing air out of his nose so that it made an exasperated sound. "Sorry, but I don't stoop to your level, mutt." He said coolly and made his way past the shocked male. Jounouchi's eyes were a bit wide and he blinked them a few times, before he turned, pointing accusingly.

"Hey! You big chicken! Get back here and fight me like a man!"

"There's nothing manly about the way _you_ fight, mutt."

Jounouchi was once again left shaking in rage, looking like he was ready to really kill someone. Yuugi left Mariku to Yami, and then ran to his friend, reaching out and tugging on his shirt. "Jounouchi-kun… don't. He's not worth it."

The spoken to turned and gazed down at his best friend with eyes that were a mix of emotions. Finally, a look of determination came over him and he smiled. "You're right. He ain't worth it." He turned, cupping his hands around his mouth. "You hear that, you jerk! You ain't worth it!" When the hands left his mouth, he was grinning. He spun back around, looking back to his happy-go-lucky self, all conflict forgotten.

Ryou had been watching silently, knowing that there was really nothing he could do. And Jounouchi wasn't one of his best friends, and Yuugi was, so… it was only right for Yuugi to help Jounouchi, and not him in Yuugi's place. But Seto Kaiba really did have a big ego that could use a little deflating.

He turned his eyes back to the three others, and frowned when he saw the looks they were giving each other. He felt like there was something he was missing out on – something big. But his thoughts were interrupted by the hyper dog-like teen. "You know, I hate to say it, but if I had the money, I think I'd like to buy the same cologne that jerk wears. It smells really, _really_ good."

Yuugi's eyebrows knitted together, and his head tipped to the side. "I didn't smell anything. Are you sure it was Kaiba? He doesn't seem the type to spray on that much musk…"

The blonde frowned. "Sheesh, you must have a bad nose or something. It was really strong." But that kind of brought him back to the point that the brunette frequently referred to him as a dog; an animal which has an amazing nose. He flushed a bit. "Or, you know, it could have been comin' from someone else." he added quickly.

Ryou's eyes shifted from Yuugi and Jounouchi, to Yami, Bakura, and Mariku. They were all looking at the blonde, and then each other. Mariku giggled. Ryou only vaguely wondered where his tears had gone.

But then he met Bakura's eyes with his own, and he blushed, not expecting to be caught staring. But then his eyes widened. Wait… He'd smelled something really good earlier that no one else seemed to be able to smell, and he was around those three. Now Jounouchi was doing the same, and Yuugi, who was possibly closer to Kaiba at one point, hadn't been able to smell a thing…

What did that mean?

And why were the three continuously gazing at each other like they knew something and didn't like it? Well, save Mariku.

Taking in a breath, Ryou realized that he was going to have to pay closer attention to them. After all, they _were_ convicts. And on that subject…

"Guys, I think we should probably just go to my place after all," he said, standing and suddenly feeling rather brave about letting others see the trash-heap that used to be his home. He was starting to feel uneasy anyway, like something bad was going to happen soon.

He got nothing but positive responses.

As he moved to pick up his sleep-over bag, slinging it over his shoulder, he heard something, or at least thought he heard something (it was whispered so lowly, he couldn't really be sure) that made him stop dead.

"Why is Seth here on Earth with an alias, I wonder?" came Yami's voice.

No. He couldn't have heard right. That was just… crazy. Ryou shook his head and turned to the public transportation bus that had just pulled up to the stop, refusing to even think about what he _thought_ he had heard.

But as they loaded onto that bus that would take them to their new destination, a pair of eyes watched them closely. They were not the cobalt ones that belonged to the eldest of the Kaiba brothers, nor were they even familiar ones. The man who owned them opened up his cell-phone and dialed a number.

After two rings, a woman picked up.

"Hello, Domino Police Station, what is your emergency?"

"I just saw the three men from the news – the wanted, escaped ones. They just boarded bus," he paused, craning his neck to check the number. "Bus 187, heading west. They got on with about three other people."

"What is your location, sir?"

"I'm in front of the Shuu's Department Store." There was only one, so he really didn't need to elaborate much.

"Thank you sir; hold please."

But he didn't' hold. He just hung up. The man was not, in fact, a man, but a teenager. His jaw was swollen, and it caused him to talk with a strange lisp. But even though he was obviously recovering from being on the receiving end of a beating, he managed to sneer. "That'll teach you to clock me, you white-haired freak."

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving the group of six oblivious to the dangers that had just befallen them.

**.: Chapter End :.**

**Chapter note:** Okay, so the reason they were out in public after being thrown out on the news like that? Simple: Yuugi had explained to them that they were safe for now, because most people were out and about, and just now getting home, etc., and have yet to see the news. Except for Mr. Thief-of-the-Alien-Bags. And why he was there? He paid his fine for having stolen stuff, and got his ass out.

So there.

**Chapter note end!**

Waa! It's DONE! I'm so sorry it took so long… Really! But it ended with a twist, and completely different from what I had anticipated, so it's a shock for everyone!

I've completely rewritten this chapter about a total of three times now (in the first draft, they'd actually explained to Yuugi-tachi that they were aliens; in the second, I just didn't like the way it came out, so I rewrote it), and I'm finally RELATIVELY happy with how it came out. Hope you all are, too! Sorry it isn't longer… but I was on a roll, and I really don't want to have to pick up from there and have to conclude it again. xD; Sorry, guys…

And oh! A plot twist! I've given out so many hints in this chapter. Bet you can figure out some things, now. ;D

Well, hope you enjoyed, and so sorry for the wait! Summer's gonna hit me in just a few days, so I'll have a lot more free time!

Much love,

-Cecilia


	15. Fixing Dishes, Breaking Hearts

I'll go over the chapter for spelling/other such mistakes later.

**: Chapter fifteen – Fixing Dishes, Breaking Hearts :.**

"As wonderful as it is standing in front of your apartment, Ryou, I kind of have to use the John." Jounouchi said, shifting uneasily from foot to foot; doing the international, "I have to pee" dance.

But Ryou just stood there, staring blankly at his door, eyes glazed over. It was like he wasn't even there -- not mentally anyway. But suddenly he jerked and blinked, shaking his head and fishing into his pocket, having snapped out of his little daze. But as to what had awakened him was muffled yowling from inside of the apartment and the harsh sound of claws streaking down the door.

This paused the brown-eyed blonde's dance and he made a confused and curious face. "I didn't know you a cat,"

"I don't," Ryou deadpanned.

Jounouchi's expression doubled in intensity, the confusion overtaking the other. He opened his mouth to reply, but he was cut off.

"Princess!" Mariku cried, clawing at the door from their side. "Mommy's here, Princess!"

Everything stopped when he'd said that.

"I think… he's got his genders confused," Yuugi said, sounding unsure. Then he remembered how Mariku had previously revealed how he liked guys. Liked as in gay-man-lust like. Maybe he really _did_ have his genders confused…? "Or, uh, he thinks he's female."

Crap.

He totally just said that out loud and hadn't meant to.

Yami sighed and shook his head, his fingers pressing against his temples. "I doubt it," he began, blinking open his eyes and gazing down at the other. "He's usually scared of women."

…

How exactly did one reply to a bomb-drop like that?

"Princess," Mariku said, sliding down the door until he was lying on the floor. His voice had been forced as deep as it would go, and sounded out of breath.

Jounouchi made a sound, clenching his legs together. "Oh, God, don't ever do that again," he whined, having been scared by the way the voice sounded -- it reminded him of something from a horror movie --- namely one about demonic possession. He half expected Mariku's head to start spinning. It almost, quite literally, made him almost lose control of his bladder, too. "Ryou! Open the door or I'm going to pee in a plant!" he shouted, eyeing a fake tree at the end of the hall, set there for decoration.

Though it had felt like hours, it had only been a few seconds, and the pale human had just gotten his keys out and into the lock. But before he opened the door, he turned to Jounouchi, giving him a look.

"Um… the toilet's broken," he informed, not sounding exactly happy about that. The blonde wailed and ran past Ryou, heading towards the end of the hallway.

Ryou sighed and opened the door, gasping and almost falling as a blur shot in-between his legs. Mariku let out a cry and chased after the feline. "Princess, come back! Mariku is sorry!"

They both disappeared down the stairs.

Ryou, Yuugi, Yami, and Bakura only spared a second's glance at the tanned male before going inside the apartment. Yuugi was actually startled at the state of his friend's home. There were clothes strewn everywhere and bits of food, some empty plates, clumps of dust… What the hell had happened? How was it physically possible to mess a place up this bad without meaning to?

The white-haired teen stepped inside and turned, holding out his arms. "Welcome to my humble, white-trash home." He said monotonously.

Yuugi swallowed. "Ryou, I'll help you clean up," he said softly, pitying the other.

Ryou's eyes suddenly started watering and he looked torn between self-pity and being touched by his friend's offer. "You're such a good friend. You're my best friend, Yuugi."

…What had he just gotten himself into?

Jounouchi walked back over to them, zipping the fly of his pants. "Hey, uh… you guys probably don't wanna touch that tree over there."

---

Mariku was panting, quite out of breathe from having chased his pet all the way into downtown Domino. He really had no idea where he was, except for that the buildings were taller and more grouped together, and there were hundreds more people bustling about. His violet eyes darted from side to side, and he started when he saw the very end of a black tail disappear from view behind some trashcans. He grinned and crept over, squeezing in behind the metal trash-dispensers. But his cat was gone, and he made a face, quite disappointed. Why did Princess have to run away? Was he mad at Mariku?

He peered out from around the trashcans and looked up at the large building before him. It seemed to be the back-end of the place, since it looked very plain and less clean that it would have if it were supposed to be presentable. There was a door that most likely was where the people came out to dump their garbage back here. But the tanned male jerked back out of sight as the doorknob turned and the door itself opened, someone exiting with a black plastic bag.

He heard the sound of padded feet making their way towards him. He held his breathe and slunk down lower, silently sliding over even further out of sight. Luckily there was a wall that he was able to press up against and keep himself from view. The person who opened up the lid to the furthest can away from Mariku was obviously not paying much attention, for she looked like she was deep in thought. Mariku watched her carefully, noticing that her skin tone was almost identical to his own. She had long, silky black hair and the most vivid crystal blue eyes he'd ever seen. Seth's were just… cold-looking. Her's were warm and kind.

He liked her already.

But from what he could see of her, she was very beautiful. Even though he felt absolutely nothing for women, he had no problem admitting that.

The woman suddenly gasped and looked down at her feet, startled and eyes wide. But they instantly softened and she let a smile spread over her face. "Hello… where did you come from?" she asked, her voice lined with a slight accent. She bent down, and when she came back into view, she was holding a cat -- the very one that Mariku had been searching for. He resisted the urge to move forward and grab him and cuddle him into his arms.

Princess meowed softly, pressing his head against her neck in a loving manner, and she laughed lightly. It was a pretty laugh. "I bet you're hungry, and came back here for some food!" she said to the cat, turning and walking back towards the building she had come out of. "Well, I'll be sure to fix that," But whatever else she had said, she was too far away to be heard, and it wasn't long before the door was shut behind her.

Mariku stayed put for a long moment, before he finally stood up and made his way to the door. He hesitated, then looked down at his shirt (even though it wasn't _really_ his shirt, but Ryou's father's shirt), and smoothed out the wrinkles. Then he lifted his hand and knocked.

There was a pause in movement from inside, before he heard muffled footsteps. The same woman opened the door a crack, frowning. Who would be coming in the back way to a museum? Her eyes widened a bit, as though she both couldn't understand what was in front of her, and recognized it.

Mariku smiled dashingly, and lifted his shoulders a bit, like he was about to have to explain something that was bothering him, but he was trying not to show it.

"Hello, ma'am," he said, tipping his head forward slightly in respect. She blinked, and looked a little bashful at the gentlemanly show.

"May I help you" she asked looking up into Mariku's face. It was like she was studying him.

The blonde made a somewhat self-abashed sound and rubbed At the back of his head. "Actually, yes. My --" he dug through his mind for the word that the humans had called it, "--cat has run away, and I thought I saw him come over this way."

The other seemed to swell up knowingly, and nodded, stepping aside. "Yes, I found a cat by the trash outside. I wasn't sure if he was a stray or not. It may be yours," she said as Mariku entered. It seemed to be a hallway that branched off to many different rooms. She slipped around him and shut the door before moving into the first room on the right, and reappearing with the animal in her arms.

Mariku gasped, and held out his arms. "Oh, there he is!" he exclaimed, looking relieved and excited at the same time. He took the feline and held it to his chest before looking up at the woman gratefully. "Thank you so much, uh…"

Her eyes widened a bit, "Oh!" she said, before she bent her head down just barely. "Ishtar Isis," she introduced.

"Bahir Mariku," he replied back, setting his pet down and bowing low, like he would for royalty. "It's been a pleasure getting to see such a beautiful, kind woman, even if only for a second," he said smoothly, causing Isis to blush lightly. "I thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me regain my lost friend," he continued as he came back up from his dip.

Both lapsed into silence, Mariku smiling handsomely down at the other, and Isis flushed and unbelieving as to what was going on. This was like something out of one of those silly girl-movies! And it was really happening to _her_!

But their moment was interrupted at the door at the very other end of the hall burst open, and an all-too familiar voice cut through the silence. "Hey, sister, the shipment from Arabia just came in, and…" But the voice grew silent, its owner staring in horrified, unbelieving shock, though it barely showed on his face.

Mariku grinned. "Hello. Are you the beautiful Isis's brother?" he asked, voice silk.

Malik dropped the heavy-looking box he was holding, ignoring the horrendous shattering noise that the action brought forth. "What the hell are you doing here!" he demanded, pointing accusingly at the one who looked very similar to him.

Isis, meanwhile, gasped, and covered her mouth with her hands. No, Malik could not have just dropped the priceless items that she had spent so much money on to bring to her museum. Because that would mean that those one-of-a-kind items were gone forever, broken and unable to simply be repaired.

Mariku stepped forward, walking down the hall calmly towards the other, who took a step back, like the pointy-eared man was going to attack him at any moment. But just as he stopped, so close to the younger's body that each could feel the heat that the other gave off, the taller simply bent down, opening the box and looking in its contents. He saw a mass of chipped porcelain and glass, with intricate designs over them, each unique in a way of its own.

"I can easily fix this with the right type of glue," he confirmed, turned back to look at Isis who looked so relieved she could have possibly fainted. Malik stood completely still, unsure emotions shining in his eyes. What was this fag doing here? And what had he been doing to his sister to make her blush like that? And more importantly; WHY IS HE HERE? …Yes, he did have to repeat the same question twice. It was just that demanding.

Having calmed down, and finally letting the exhaustion of the day catch up to her, Isis nodded thankfully. "Yes, glue," she murmured, jotting that down mentally. Absently, she addressed her younger brother in a slightly snappish tone. "Malik, go get our guest some tea." And she walked back into her office again in a distracted way.

Not only was Malik shocked and appalled, but he had absolutely no reason to disobey his sister. As far as she knew, this retarded homo was the African Prince Charming, for the gods' sake! She would only get mad at _him _for not doing as she asked… He bared his teeth. "Yes, sister," he hissed, and gave Mariku a very fake, and a very, _very_ sour smile before he too exited the room.

The off-worlder smirked, watching the other until the door was closed completely and Malik was lost from his view.

Isis came back into the room in what could have been either mere second or a few minutes -- the exact time had been lost to Mariku. He had been carelessly picking up the shattered pieces of history and placing them on the floor, organizing them into the place that they should have been. He had almost completed half of one of the plates when Isis leaned over his back, staring in awe at his quick work. She watched him a few seconds more before she spoke up.

"You have a very amazing talent, there," she said quietly, her face tinting pink as Mariku moved to take the small bottle of special glue from her hand and brushed it with his own. He didn't seem to have noticed. He had started to unscrew the cap when the woman put in her thoughts once more. "Perhaps you should do this on a table…? I wouldn't want that to get stepped on, or for you to be hit if someone open that door," she explained.

This made the tanned male blink, before he turned his head towards her and smiled at her over his shoulder. "Ah! And you think ahead as well. There aren't enough women around like you, but we desperately need more!"

She smiled at his words and set her hand over her mouth to hide how much it elated her. She was about to return the flirted compliment in different words to Mariku himself, when the door opened, just missing hitting already beat-up box that contained the fragments of glass that needed to be fixed. In an instant, the glue bottle hit the tiled floor, and Mariku had turned around, facing whoever it was who opened it, and sprung.

Malik screamed.

Isis' eyes were once more widened and her hand had yet to leave the cover of her mouth. Mariku had grabbed Malik's leg at the conjunction of the knee, and held fast there, having lifted the other's leg against his own thigh, keeping the foot raised in the air. His other hand had woven around Malik's back, keeping him from falling back as he lost balance from having his body pushed backwards. He somehow managed to only spill a little of the tea. He stared up into Mariku's face, his own showing confusion and fear. What the hell was he supposed to do, now!

"L-let go of me!" he yelled, starting to struggle, but Mariku gave him a jerk and moved his body to the side before he let go. He stood tall and wore a self-confident grin on his lips. But Malik was still shaken. "What the hell was that for!" he finally demanded, shifting the plate that held three small and fancy cups of tea.

But Mariku only continued to smirk at the shorter male before lifting a hand into the air as though he were about to explain some complicated theorem to him. "Well, if you will kindly look down, it will clear things up a bit."

Glaring, the fiery teen shot his eyes to the floor and nearly slapped himself.

Yeah, that would have been just peachy if he had crushed the precious bits of broken treasure into unfixable dust. He was sure his sister would have oh-so willingly and eagerly forgiven him for that one. And now that made Mariku look even more _amazing_, since he had not only offered to clean up the mess Malik had made, but now he'd also saved the mess from being stomped on by the boy who'd caused this in the first place. He growled.

Isis raced over and gently took the tray from her brother, turning and thanking Mariku sincerely for all of his help. "I'll go put this in my office, and then we'll move these things there for you to work on." But just as Malik bared his teeth, and started to bend down to pick up a piece of the chipped porcelain, hoping that he might be able to fall and "accidentally" stab Mariku in the heart or something, Isis turned to him, giving him a look of slight irritation. "Malik, why don't you just come sit in my office and have your drink?"

…

Ouch.

The fire in Malik's eyes shot up about five thousand degrees and he grumbled under his breath, staring down the damnable drink that Isis know had in her possession. The said liquid was almost the shade of blood, though it held a bit more plum coloring to it. Well, at least he got to be a lazy ass… but it was still a damn low blow! He turned his hateful eyes upon the male that, in his mind, caused every bit of grief known to existence and muttered a bit more before he stormed over to his sister's office and threw himself roughly down into a chair and crossed his arms, pouting.

Isis turned to Mariku and gave him an apologetic look. "I'm very sorry about my brother… I don't know what's gotten into him."

Mariku just watched Malik's back until he turned into the room, where he turned to the woman before him and smiled, waving his hand at her. "I wasn't insulted; don't worry." But then he changed his expression and leaned down, setting his fingers around the edge of the rim of a tea cup, his face coming very close to Isis'. "But he might just be jealous… that I'll snatch away his pretty sister from his side?"

Her blush increased. What was she supposed to say to that? And especially when he was so close, and, and…

But he was out of her personal space before she could even finish her thought, sipping the sugary tea. It was hot, but not _too_ hot so it burned him, but it certainly left a strange sensation down his throat. His eyes closed at the taste and he smiled as the rim left his lips. "Delicious," he complimented before setting it back down on the tray, and watching in an amused manner as Isis turned, walking down the hall in a dazed manner.

He almost, _almost_ felt bad about pulling her around like this, but…

Trailing off with that thought, Mariku knelt, taking up the glass gently in his hands (and after grabbing the glue), setting it back in the box before he lifted that up and started towards where he assumed the woman's office was -- since both she and her brother had disappeared in it. But as he entered, he noticed something that made his lips lift upwards once more. But he said nothing and just eyed Malik as the teen lifted a cup to his mouth, purposely ignoring him and making it painfully obvious he was doing so. He waited until he knew the other was in the process of taking some tea into his mouth before he said, "You know, I drank out of that from the exact same spot."

Malik choked and spluttered, trying to deal with having sucked the liquid down his windpipe. Mariku grinned, seemingly very proud of himself.

Isis disregarded what was said, not really caring, nor did she really pay attention to it in the first place, and gently took the box from Mariku, setting it on her desk, moving some papers and documents out of the way and to a safer spot. "Here… you can work at my desk. I'll--"

But she interrupted very rudely by the phone. Mariku jerked at the sudden noise, but no one really noticed, since Isis went to answer it, and Malik was still choking. He still wasn't used to that damn sound…

After the elder Ishtar hung up, she sighed in an overworked manner and muttered something too low to hear before she re-laid the situation out loud for the rest to hear. "They're having a problem with the new shipment; they think we've gotten a few wrong items, and missing a few of the ones we ordered." She gave one last glance at Mariku, her eyes lingering on his figure, before she made for the door. "It shouldn't take long, but… Well, I'll be back. Thank you again."

And she was gone.

The door was now closed, since Isis had shut it to give him privacy to work, just in case the hallway became crowded because of this new dilemma. This pleased the spiked blonde, though he didn't really show it as he went to work. Malik coughed pathetically in the background. Silence lapsed between them. The younger of the two had set the cup he had had the misfortune to drink from, and glared distastefully at it. He gave another couch. "I bet you spit in it, you sick freak." he hissed, though it came out sounding pathetic; cracking as though he'd been weeping recently. He fell silent after that, feeling like he would just sound even more stupid than he already was. He wiped the tears from his eyes that had gathered when he was having his 'ohshitI'mchoking' fit.

Mariku glanced up through his bangs as he worked. "Oh? Would you have liked it if I had?"

Malik shot him a disgusted face. "Fuck, no!"

The alien stared blankly; having no idea what the word "fuck" meant, though he assumed it wasn't a very nice word. He snorted softly and let his eyes drop back down to what he was doing. "I get the feeling you don't like me," he said, like he really had no idea he had ever pissed off the other. Malik growled, sounding very much like a cat that was being prodded and wanted to be left alone.

"After you're done with that, I want you _out._"

Mariku raised an eyebrow, though it was hard to see from under his hair. "Oh, you have nothing to worry about, there…"

"Good."

It didn't take very long for the task to be completed, but Mariku didn't leave. He just leaned back in his chair and stared straight ahead at Malik, who looked very uncomfortable having eyes on him. On the desk, the plates sat drying and looked as though they were undamaged (except naturally by time, of course).

The younger Ishtar's mind went back to how Isis and Mariku had been flirting. Hadn't he said he was gay, though? Then, why…? Well, he thought distastefully, maybe he just went for anything he could get. He had sweet-talked his sister and made her flush and accept him with open arms.

But he wasn't fooling Malik.

Mariku continued to eye him, his look holding something that Malik wasn't sure he wanted to know about. He glared. Mariku wasn't leaving like he was supposed to. The Egyptian's eyes narrowed.

"What, are you going to hit on me, too?" he asked with venom in his voice. The other just smirked.

It all seemed to happen so fast and so slow at the same time; Mariku stood up from his chair and crossed the room, leaning down over Malik's own, his arms on either side of the teen, trapping him in his seat. The human's eyes were wide and the previously buried fear resurfaced and gripped him, causing his joints to freeze up. His breath hitched.

Mariku held his mouth almost against the other's cheek, hot breath hitting his skin. "Well, if 'hit on' is the phrase you humans have for 'trying to seduce someone'… then the answer is yes." he said quietly, smirking wider at Malik's visible shudder.

The earthling was terrified now. He felt like a little child who was lost in a dark place with no help in sight, and there were monsters in the shadows, waiting for him to even try to move -- for they would devour him alive when he did. He wanted so desperately to call out to his sister for help, but his voice was gone, and he knew that she probably wouldn't be able to hear him anyway. He was pressed back against his chair as far as it would go, trying to become part of the cushions and leave this horrible situation behind.

One of Mariku's hands left the chair arm and began to dig its fingers up under Malik's shirt, gaining access to the other's bare skin. Malik's face was pale everywhere except for his cheeks, which were as red as his dark skin would allow. He tried so hard to beg the other to stop, but all he managed was a cracked "st".

Pressing himself even closer, Mariku continued to let his hand move upwards as he whispered into the terrified teen's ear. "Do I smell good?" he asked, though in this position it seemed more like a demanded answer.

Malik was shaking now, but somehow managed to turn his head away and regain his voice. "You smell like you haven't bathed," he replied, but it sounded weak -- especially to his own ears. It was true, though; the other smelled like dust and sweat.

Mariku made a small sighing sound. "That's too bad…"

Malik only had a second's notice before he was being kissed. Scared tears sprung up into his eyes and his hands gripped the chair arms until his knuckles were pale. But he still couldn't find the strength to force the other away.

'Oh, gods, he's going to rape me… Sister, please come back, see him for what he really is and help me! Stop him! Oh, someone, anyone, please stop him…'

He could barely remember a time he'd felt so defenseless. And when he found a memory, it seemed too foggy and hard to bring up.

After what must have been forever, the kiss ended and the body oppressing him was gone. Malik blinked open his watery eyes and looked up fearfully at the taller male. Mariku was currently gathering up his animal -- which had been in the room the whole time, apparently -- into his arms. He stood up straight and walked to the door, opening it and glancing back over his shoulder at Malik, giving him the most horrible look the teen had ever seen. But truly, it was just a promise that this wouldn't be the last of this kind of situation. And right now, that _was_ the most horrible thing. For Malik. Mariku seemed to have enjoyed himself a lot. He licked the taste of the sweet tea from his lips and seemingly vanished around the doorframe.

Malik stared blankly at where the other had been only seconds before. His eyes looked different from the fiery ones he had only a mere half-an-hour prior. The tears that had gathered around his lashes were pushed over as more crawled out. With a sob, he wrapped his arms around himself and curled into the closest thing to the fetal position that he could. He set his head on his knees and cried.

Isis came back at this moment, entering the room and blinking, looking straight at her desk. "Where's Mariku?" she asked, sounding disappointed. She had come back early to check on him, and he wasn't even here! But… the plates looked perfectly fine again, and that lifted up her spirits. But still, she had wanted to pay him for his work, or _something---_

Her thoughts were ripped away from her and thrown into oblivion as she heard a sound that she hadn't heard for years. Her head snapped to the side and the sight that caught her vision made her heart freeze. She rushed over and wrapped her arms around her brother, kneeling down beside him and hugging him close. "Oh, Malik, what's wrong? What happened?" Worry was evident in her voice as she questioned him, but Malik could only moan and weep even harder, his shoulders shaking. He shook his head at the question, trying to find the words, but not really wanting to say them at all.

Isis didn't know what to do. What the hell happened while she was gone? She pulled her brother closer and held him, shifting them both so that his head was on her shoulder.

He wrapped his arms around her and continued to cry.

**.: Chapter end :.**

Yeah, I kinda get the feeling that that wasn't the kind of man-on-man action y'all were expecting. XD But yeah. Everything is slowly moving into place! I'm not really sure how I'm going to end up binding the plot together, but… Hey, I'll figure something out!

But yeah. Don't worry about Malik! He'll be fine. Really.

But, um. Basically… Malik really thought he was going to be raped. And he was so scared that after the kiss was over, he cried because he was relived it hadn't happened, and the fact that he had been molested like that in the first place.

Thank you so much for you patience with me, guys! I love you all. I'll make a whole long list of the people who reviewed in the little extra thingy at the end of the story. I'll be putting out-takes and other such things that didn't quite make it into chapter there. So you'll get so read some really random crap for fun after everything's said and done, okaaaaay?

END RANDOM DRABBLE VOMIT BLAH.

And for those of you who were wondering, which I doubt any of you really were or anything, but yeah. The tea that Malik had made was karkade, "a traditional Egyptian tea, consisting of brewed hibiscus flowers and copious quantities of sugar." God that information off of Google. Sounds good -- I wanna try some. O:

Sorry for the downbeat ending, guys! I suck, I know. But tell me what you think! (I bet you're disappointed, huh? Heheh… oops.)

-Cecilia


	16. Don’t Drop the Soap

1I'm eighteen! Zomg! Sorry I didn't get this out sooner. Love you all for sticking around for me!

I have no idea how the Japanese police system works, so I just used the U.S.'s, mmkay? It's not like I have internet to research it on, anyways. Le cry. JUST BEAR WITH ME, OKAY! D:

**.: Chapter sixteen - Don't Drop the Soap :.**

Yuugi and the gang had a good chunk of Ryou's apartment cleaned by the time Mariku returned with his precious pet in his arms. The deeply tanned blonde also seemed to be very proud of himself, what with the way he was acting. He stood with a certain air about him, it showed through even in the way he moved, and it almost seemed irregular with the way he normally acted. Yami immediately noticed. It was the look someone had when they did something they know they shouldn't have but did anyway and got something they wanted. But he wasn't left much time to ponder on what it could have possibly been, seeing as how he suddenly had a box of dirty dishes shoved into his hands.

"Take that to the kitchen, please," Yuugi asked, before turning around and helping Jounouchi set up the vacuum. The floor was finally clean enough to start on the carpet-cleaning.

Bakura, meanwhile, made himself perfectly at home at he lounged on the couch, his feet propped up on one end, while his head rested at the opposite one, supported by his hand. He watched everyone work around him in a bored manner. This was the exact position he had been in from the start, but Yami had nagged at him at one point, so he helped for a few minutes. Helped, meaning stood around and made it look like he was doing something and maybe assisted in moving some things out of the way, but did nothing much overall. He watched the spiky-haired prince make his way into the other room, before turning his eyes to Mariku. They narrowed. There was definitely something going on.

Ryou entered the room from the hallway, and was about to say something, when he spotted Mariku, and an almost worried expression crossed his face. "When did you get back?" he finally asked. The tall male grinned, before setting his pet down on the floor to go explore or something. He then straightened back up and made his way over to the white-haired human, lips still tugged upwards.

"Mariku walked through that door just now," he replied, but his voice held an odd tone to it. "So what is the little Baku-lookalike doing?" he asked, moving in far too close to the teen. The said "Baku-lookalike" seemed even more nervous than he had been, and backed up a step, re-entering the hallway.

"C-cleaning," he managed, mind already coming up with a method of escape. But it turned out to be unnecessary, seeing as how Mariku was suddenly jerked backwards, letting out a pained squawk in the process as he fell to the floor. And in his place, stood Bakura, glaring as though it would off the one who was such an annoyance in his life.

"Did you sniff some chemical, you idiot?" he snapped, but his companion didn't answer; he simply began to roll around in place, gripping his head as if he were in agony. The paler Althasian just rolled his eyes, not intending to waste his time with pity. Ryou briefly paid mind to Mariku, but then turned his attention to his savior.

"Did, uh... Did you need something, Bakura?"

The elder eyed Ryou for a few moments before replying; "Don't let him get too close to you when he's like this." But to quickly cover up the fact that he so obviously wasn't concerned, because, of course, he wasn't, he added, "He might do something stupid, and I doubt you'd be able to stop him."

Yeah. That really made sense.

The shorter of the two blinked a few times, before replying, "Oh, uh... thanks, then." Bakura snorted in reply. From there, they fell to silence, which seemed rather awkward. Then the roar of the vacuum startled both of them out of whatever moment they might have been having.

A very undignified yelp came from Jounouchi as dust from the vacuum puffed up into a rather large cloud which quickly filled the room. When the cloud finally settled, the whole room was completely covered in a layer of sickly gray. Ryou stood speechless, now able to see the scene before him since Bakura had moved to the side after he turned, wanting to see for himself.

"Wha, but, no, we just..."

And the pale human's words just about summed up the entire situation right there.

The neighbors could probably hear his scream seconds later, too.

---

Because of a slight setback due to technical difficulties, the group had to spend somewhere around two hours re-cleaning. It really only took a little over an hour, but Ryou had gone through an emotional breakdown that just couldn't be helped, and Yuugi had to walk him through the path to recovery for a bit. And while this was being taken care of, the plumber had been called to fix the toilet, and Yami and Bakura had dragged Mariku off to a corner and started questioning him on what the hell he'd done. Of course, he tried to play dumb – or perhaps he wasn't really playing – but it eventually slipped out that he'd gone to see "Pretty Malik". And with the way he'd been acting, it seemed like he'd done a lot more than just "saw" him.

Of course, they doubted that the other had done anything too heinous, since it was in his genetics, as well as the rest of their species', to only mate with one person. He had probably just gotten a few gropes in here and there, though it was questionable on why he was going through all this trouble just to freak the kid out in the first place. When this was brought up, Mariku slipped into an odd silence, and just grinned insanely, a glint flickering on in his eyes.

It was a disturbing sight, considering they were used to him acting like a complete moron most of the time. But it was obvious that something went on behind those eyes, at least part of the time.

Princess had wandered off once again and the group heard some very unnerving sounds coming from somewhere in the house. Jounouchi had offered to go look for the feline, wanting to do something to make up for his recent havoc-wreaking, but Ryou had refused a bit too quickly. The poor blonde teen slumped down into a chair, feeling horrible. First Yuugi, now Ryou. Whose life would he ruin next?

The said spiky-haired human had suggested that maybe they should try to invite Malik over to finally join him, since he never had shown up at the other sleep-over destination. Both knew just how much of a clean-freak the Egyptian could be when he was at someone else's house. But when it came to his own room, however, that was obviously a different story, though Isis made sure he kept it at least semi-decent for when guests came over.

Ryou, however, didn't really feel like calling up the other to ask if he wanted to come over. He had the feeling that Malik would just decline or something, and the pale boy still hadn't exactly forgiven his friend's little outburst about persons of a certain sexuality. He made the excuse that he just didn't feel like calling anyone right now, but that kind of backfired in his face, since Yuugi had smiled and offered to do it for him.

It took only three rings for someone to answer the phone. The petite teen figured that they just must have been busy, since neither Isis or Malik answered. That wasn't completely strange, since sometimes they just couldn't reach the phone at the moment, but when he'd asked to speak with either of them, the man told him that they had gone home already. Now this did seem a little strange. What if something had happened that concerned both of them? It wasn't out of place for Malik to leave early, since he didn't like working overtime, though Isis usually stayed behind to check everything over, at least.

Yuugi frowned and hung up, before picking the phone back up and dialing the Ishtar's home phone. This time, it took three or four extra rings than normal for someone to pick up. The caller was starting to really become concerned, now.

"Ishtar," Isis said into the receiver, but it sounded much more... worn out than normal. Not just tired, though. Almost... frustrated? Upset? What had happened?

"Hi, Isis, it's Yuugi, I just wanted to ask Malik something," he began, but the woman on the other end softly interrupted him.

"I'm sorry, Yuugi, he can't talk right now."

Okay, he might have been concerned before, but now he was really worried. "What happened?" he asked.

There was a pause from the other end. "Yuugi, I don't know. He won't tell me. He just started crying and acting like he was scared." The only reason she would ever tell the boy this, was because she trusted him not to tell the whole world about this. And Yuugi had a large, kind heart, and if anyone could help her brother, he would be willing to give it his best effort and more. "I was hoping you might have known something, but..." she admitted, then trailed off. It hurt her so badly so see her younger sibling in such a depressed state. Then protective anger burned in her chest, for she knew that it must have been something Mariku had done. He had seemed so chivalrous and polite that Isis didn't _want _to believe it, but there was no other logical explanation, at least for now.

Yuugi was dumbfounded. Malik _never_ cried. At least, not as far as he had ever seen. Even when he'd broken his wrist, he hadn't cried. He was always the tough one of their group. If a serious situation came up, he was always the one who didn't act like he was worried or afraid. He was always the one who seemed to know what to do. He was the one who protected them. Of course Jounouchi did the same, as far as protecting. The gray-eyed boy was immensely grateful that he had such great friends, but that didn't stay long. His feelings all went straight to one of those amazing people; one who needed help.

"I... I don't. I'm sorry."

There was another reel of silence. Isis broke it once more. "I'll tell Malik you called."

"Thanks." Yuugi was still somewhat shocked to hear about his friend's state. Just _imagining_ it... He hung up almost in a dazed manner, before turning and blinking at the rest of the room. His eyes fell on Mariku. Malik had been fine after they left the police station. Mariku left the apartment, and came back looking smug about something. Malik suddenly broke down and wouldn't even tell his own sister why.

He swallowed hard.

He had a really strong feeling that the tanned blonde man with psychotic tendencies had done something to Malik; something bad enough to make him act so suddenly out of character. A sort of protectiveness bubbled up inside of the short male, his eyes turning from their normal kind state into something colder. It wasn't exactly a hateful look, but... for Yuugi, it was close enough.

And suddenly, despite how he and Yami had become something like friends, he couldn't help but wonder, just who were these people? He had accepted their answers about their oddities with ease, but now he was really starting to become skeptical. What kind of people filed their teeth to be that sharp, or had surgery to make their ears as pointy as theirs? And where exactly did they get those things they called translators? And now that he really thought about it... what language were they speaking when they first met?

But his face grew flushed and he felt ashamed of himself for letting such bad thoughts enter his mind. No. He trusted Yami. He did. And there was really no reason to suspect them of being criminals, and Mariku always acted weird, so...

"Yuugi? What did he say?" Ryou's voice asked from his side, making the said boy jump and turn to look at his pale friend. He gave a laugh to cover up his embarrassment.

"Oh! I just talked with Isis. Malik suddenly got real sick and couldn't even leave his room. I was just wondering what he could have come down with, and hoping that he would be okay, you know?" Yes, that explained the way he was acting. At least, he hoped it did. Ryou's expression changed a bit.

"Sick? But he was fine earlier." He unconsciously put emphasis on the word "fine."

Yuugi suddenly grew fearful that the other would try to go see Malik or call him or something. But it didn't seem Ryou was _that_ concerned, but he certainly didn't just blow it off. The tri-color haired boy suddenly realized just how weird Ryou was acting as well. Usually he'd jump at any chance to see their Egyptian friend. But right now... Something had changed between that morning and now. Were Ryou and Malik having a fight or something? But he would have remembered something like that had he been around for it. Then slowly his mind crept up and startedto wrap itself around the events of the day. It went straight to when Mariku revealed that he was gay, and Malik mentioned how disgusted he was. And come to think of it, Ryou had been acting a bit cold to the other since then, so either the youngest Ishtar sibling had done something after that to irritate his white-haired friend, or _that_ had been the cause of this mess.

Yuugi felt his head heat up a bit and felt something in his chest fall into his stomach. No, it just now clicked. The way Ryou acted around Malik... it had seemed to just be friendly admiration, and Yuugi had joked about that many times before, but now it seemed... exactly like what someone who had a crush on another would act like. He swallowed again, and it sounded so loud to his own ears. How had he not seen it before? Was it because he was blocking it out? He himself didn't _dislike_ gays, but the thought of two men acting like a man and a woman do... it unnerved him; made him feel uneasy.

What was wrong with him? All of these strange thoughts were bombarding him at once, thoughts he'd never had before.

And they most likely would have continued, had there not been a very sudden, and very demanding banging at the door. It startled everyone inside, and both Yuugi and Ryou became fearful of who could be making such a racket. But Jounouchi, wearing a serious look, went in first to open then door. If it was someone with ill intentions, he'd either take the first hit, or take the bad guy out. No one touched his friends. No one.

But as he turned the knob, the door was thrown open and hit him in the face, knocking him backwards into a wall, holding his hands over his nose. "Shit!"

No, that didn't really feel good, for those of you who were wondering.

"Police!"

That made every single person in the room's hearts stop. Jounouchi, though still in pain, yelped a pathetic, "I've been here all day! I haven't done anything!" But then his mind caught the fact that the three new guys had just been on the news as wanted criminals. That, and they'd gone out in public. What a stupid thing to do...

But it appeared that now they were after everyone in the apartment, not just the convicts on the run. "You have the right to remain silent; everything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney; if you can't afford one, one will be provided for you."

Yuugi had tears of confusion and fright in his eyes. "I haven't done anything! Let me go!" he cried as he had cuffs put around his wrists. "Stop!"

"You housed and assisted wanted criminals, which is just as much a crime as what these three have done themselves."

There was stunned silence, though Jounouchi was now having to be dragged to the ground, because he obviously did _not_ like police. "Let them go!" he screamed, wriggling fiercely in his attempt to get free, even though the cop already had one of his hands cuffed. A foot caught the man in the stomach, and he doubled over, having the wind knocked out of him, giving the blonde time to free himself. He ran over and his fist connected with the officer who was starting to take Yuugi out the door.

No one touched his friends. Not even police.

It took three people to finally get Jounouchi out of Ryou's apartment and into the awaiting car. Mariku had leapt away from the men in uniform, trying desperately to pull off the vent cover and crawl up into the ceiling once again, but he was pulled back down and restrained. It took over an hour to get everyone to the station.

---

The translators that Yami, Bakura, and Mariku wore had been taken away from them, for fear they might actually be radio receptors or, even worse, explosives of some sort. Yuugi was the first to get interrogated, and he was nervous and shaking. They kept asking who the three convicts were, but the teen, in turn, kept insisting that he knew nothing. The said three men, surrounded by officers, watched the boy fidget in his chair from their spots in the room behind the "mirror". It was apparent that Yuugi couldn't see them, and they couldn't understand a word that was spoken anyway.

This wasn't good.

"You understand that you're going to be prosecuted with them if you don't stop covering for them?"

Yuugi shook his head, his face pale and eyes wide. "I swear, I don't know anything! When we saw the report for them on the news, Mariku pulled out a badge and explained that he'd stolen it from you all! That's why I thought... I don't know..." He felt so stupid right now. He should have known not to trust three complete strangers! They were no-good criminals after all...

"Badge?" the man who had been the main questioner of the aliens beforehand asked. He reached into his pocket, and pulled out his wallet, but his face grew red as he saw nothing in there. Even the pictures of his family were gone! How the hell did this happen without him noticing!

He growled, and snapped the wallet shut. He'd get that damn punk later.

"Kid, you're way in over your head. These guys could easily have killed you and your friends and family. Now, we're going to hold you, and your parents have been phoned." After so many times of the kid denying this, he did seem truthful enough. And he _was_ just a kid... That would be taken into consideration. "But it's likely you're just going to go home after a few hours. Unless, of course, we find other evidence..."

"What about Ryou and Jounouchi-kun? They didn't do anything, either! I'm the one who convinced Ryou to take those guys in! This is all my fault..."

"Yes, it may be, but now that you're aware of the situation, you're going to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Yuugi's two friends were in similar situations, though Ryou was, in fact, holding something back. He wasn't opening his mouth to what he had heard after Jounouchi's little spat with Seto Kaiba. But he was so very tempted to... He wasn't even sure why he wasn't saying anything about it. He just _wasn't_.

And it turned out that, after a few hours, they were, indeed, cleared and free to go, though charges might be filed later. The blonde former gang member, unfortunately, left with a fine for assaulting two officers. He wasn't too pleased about that, either.

"I knew those guys couldn't be trusted!"

Yuugi and Ryou knew he was lying.

"You were right, Ryou," Yuugi mumbled, having ignored his other friend. His grandfather and mother had come to get all of them, since Ryou's dad wasn't in Japan, and Jounouchi's never answered the phone. The blonde couldn't be more thankful about that, either.

The shortest of the three felt completely awful. He had put his grandfather, his mother, and his best friends in danger. It was all _his_ fault. And he was so sure that Mariku had done something to Malik. It all made sense. So why did he feel so horrible that Yami was a lying sneak?

---

Mariku stuck his head against the bars, ignoring how swollen and painful his face had become since that nasty man who he'd stolen the badge off of smacked his in the face with his gun. That just didn't seem legal, but he couldn't really do much about it in his current position, seeing as how he could no longer even speak the human's language.

Bakura was sitting on the bunk in the cell across from his, and Yami's was right next to Mariku's. He sighed and let out a little whine, sliding down to his knees, looking completely defeated. "I want my mommy!" he screamed, but everyone else ignored him. Except, of course, the other man in his cell.

"Shut the fuck up! I'm tryin' to get some sleep." He was a big, burly man, but the tanned blonde didn't show that he had heard him. This angered the man who must have been living off steroids for the past few months. He got up and grabbed Mariku by the shoulder and rolled him over, slamming him against the bars as he kneeled down over the other. "Don't you fucking ignore me. I could kill you," he sneered. This kid might just end up meeting the fate of those who didn't quite understand who was the boss, and what their place was in prison.

But instead, he had teeth sunken into his arm and screamed, trying to get the other off. But Mariku dodged another blow and jumped, landing on the top bunk. There was no way a normal person could have ever done that. But ignoring physics, he turned and pressed himself against the hard mattress and hissed, revealing his two front fangs. Exactly like a cat.

Shit, this guy was insane!

"Guard! Guard! This guy just _bit _me! Fuck, I think he had rabies!"

This was going to be a long, long night.

.**: Chapter end :.**

Well, um. That sucked. Horribly. D: Please forgive. ;-; Life's been really hectic, and I've spent all week in the hospital. x.x But I decided to get this up before I had planned to, just because you guys stick with me. Thanks so much!

WATCH OUT FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER: "Houston, We Have a Problem"!

-Cecilia


	17. Houston, We Have a Problem

I made an oopsie and started calling Yami "violet-eyed" and Bakura "red-eyed" at a few points. Bah. I'm sorry! I've looked through this, but if I wanna find them to correct them, I think I'm going to have to re-read this thing for the third time. X.x And, uh. I'd love it if you guys helped me out, instead? Like, pointed out where the mistakes are? Love you guyssss.

**.: Chapter seventeen - Houston, We Have a Problem :.**

Bakura sucked on his finger, tongue nursing the little prick that had been put in his skin by a needle. He had a pretty good idea of what they were doing, but he still didn't like being fucking stabbed without warning. He and Yami were both lucky to be placed in an empty cell, Mariku being the only one who was having to share with someone else. And that someone else looked quite intimidating, too.

"Yami," he called, seeing the prince look up from his spot. "We have to get out of here, and off this damn planet."

The shorter of the two nodded, eyes dim. "I know, but we don't have our luggage, and we don't have any way to get out of here. It's not like we could communicate with these people and tell them to let us out." He eyed a guard who sat at the table at the end of the row of prison blocks, reading some kind of erotic magazine. Yami made a face, his hands tightening around the bars. "I doubt it'd make much difference if we could, anyway," he muttered distastefully.

"Humans suck!" Mariku screamed loudly, busy kicking at the man who was trying to grab him and drag him to the ground. "They're disgusting, and grabby, and this one's trying to touch me in bad ways!" But he suddenly paused, looking thoughtful. "But Pretty-Malik's not bad like the others. Pretty-Malik is definitely –" But he never got to finish his sentence as his leg was gripped in a vice-like manner and he was yanked from his place on the bunk, letting out a squawk of surprise and fright. "Yami! Baku! Help!" But it didn't look like he needed too much at all, seeing as how he was holding his own at wrestling his cell mate. He actually had him pinned a few times, too, but after several moments, he had his head slammed against the ground, stunning him. The man above him grinned and began to start undoing the jeans Mariku was wearing.

It was then that Bakura started shouting, trying to get someone's attention. What the hell had gone so wrong along the way to make a human act like this! But the guard merely glanced up from his magazine in a bored manner, before snorting and going back to his "reading". Yami was left in the dark aside from the words exchanged. He had no idea what was going on, except that maybe Mariku was getting beat up.

Bakura looked to the prince, but couldn't really explain what was happening. They didn't have a word for rape in their language. The white-haired male turned, seeing the knobs on the faucet by the toilet were loose. He ran over to them and then back to the bars after he managed to pull it off and threw it at the cell where Mariku was about to be defiled in the worst possible way. But at the last possible second, the metal knob bounced off the bars of the others' cage and rolled along the floor over the Yami. The red-eyed man reached out and grabbed it, before throwing it as hard as he could at the guard, hitting him right on the face. He did not look too happy about that, either. He stood up and started walking over to the prince's cell, looking ready to strike him or something along those lines, when Bakura started shouting at him and pointing into the tanned male's direction. The guard smacked Yami's bars hard with his magazine before turning to the cell with all the action going on in it.

"Cut it out, both of you! I'll get the taser out if you don't behave!"

But his threat went mostly unnoticed as Mariku suddenly regained his control and grabbed the gruff criminal's face, digging his nails into the other's flesh, before kicking him off and rolling over on top of him, giving back a little of what he'd gotten; a nice hit to the head with concrete.

The guard, angered more than before, opened up the cell and pulled his taser from his belt, turning it on and was about to send a big electric volt through the blonde when the said Althasian turned and leapt at the officer, who moved out of the way just in time to avoid being attacked. By the time the regained his wits and tried to rectify this problem, Mariku was already down to the other end of the hall, opening up the door that lead to the rest of the station and bolting out. The guard ran after him, yelling that there was a breakout (after locking Mr. Steroid-Rapist back in his cell).

Yami and Bakura were somewhat stunned, and ignored the guy left alone, holding his face and cussing angrily. They both looked at each other. How long would it take for Mariku to get caught again? And would he really leave them both here, stuck in prison? It was then that Bakura's eyes widened, and he pointed down at Yami's feet. "Look!" he gasped. The shorter followed the advice, and stepped back, even more surprised than before. He and Bakura both made eye contact again and grinned.

"The transmitter!" they called in unison. Yami bent down and grabbed it, pressing a button on it and holding it down. "Chief! Someone; anyone! Answer me!" There was nothing but static, and his heart suddenly dropped into his stomach. No, they had to receive this message. They _had_ to! He was about to let out a desperate and frustrated sound, when he got a broken up reply.

"Yami? We've been...trying to con...act you for days!"

"YES!" Bakura screamed, kicking the bars happily.

Yami couldn't help the happy smile that was spread out over his face as he answered. "Sorry, it's a long story. But now's not the time, we need you to transport us back!" There were several crackles, before the other's voice came through once again.

"Repeat that? There's too much static."

Feeling his eye twitch up in annoyance, Yami, this time joined by Bakura, shouted, "_GET US HOME_!"

"Geez! No need to scream so loud! It'll take a few minute...to heat up the machine, and then we'll need...o pinpoint you three... Stay together, and make sure you're touchingཀ We..on't want something ...ing wr..."

The message was now getting too broken up to understand. Yami turned off the transmitter and sighed in relief. They would be going back. They didn't have their things, but those could be replaced. Wait... His eyes widened slightly. He and Bakura had to be touching? He and the white-haired man looked at each other. Then their gazes fell to the five-foot gap between them.

Fuck.

"Hey, try to meet me half-way!" Bakura called, reaching out his arm. Yami banged his head against the bars a few times.

"But what about Mariku?" he asked. The brown-eyed male shrugged.

"You win some, you lose some," he replied, and promptly got the transmitter thrown at his face. He dodged it just in time to miss getting his nose crushed, and shot a glare at the other. "Bastard."

"Come on, Bakura, we have to find a way out of..." The prince's eyes trailed over to the other cells around them, noticing that one of the men, who was eyeing them, had a strange object of sorts in his hand. He didn't particularly like the look, either. The guy was physically gross, and had yellow teeth. But whatever it was that he was holding... It looked like he had to have snuck that in. The red-eyed male glanced down at it, before making eye contact with the other, lifting his hand to point at it questioningly.

The said man raised an eyebrow and grinned, as if he knew all the secrets of the world, and then placed the contraption around on of the bars and tried with all his might to try to... cut the bar? But it wasn't working. He continued to try, his face reddening and a vein lifting up on his bald head, but he stopped when Bakura started laughing at him. It was the kind of laugh meant to piss someone off, because everyone and their dog knew you were laughing at THEM. The man let out a growl of rage and started screaming at the white-haired male, who's eyes widened and he quickly backed away from the bars as the _thing_ was thrown at him. It hit the bars and fell loudly to the ground, though. A sickening grin slid across the pale Althasian's lips as he reached out and grabbed it, pulling it into his cell.

Perfect.

Yami eyed him with an unsure look. Bakura shrugged. "The idiot was using it wrong," he said nonchalantly. The said guy was reaching for it, and screaming what must have been something akin to "Give it back!" Bakura did nothing of the sorts, however, and simply smirked smugly and moved to work on getting out.

"How do _you _know how to use that?" Yami asked, watching the whole thing closely. The other shrugged again.

"I thought it was obvious how it works by just looking at it," he replied before a loud CLANK rung throughout the prison block. Everything got quiet for a bit, before most fo the inmates started shouting or trying to look at who was actually breaking out. Three more pronounced sounds later, and Bakura, with his slim body, slid his way out. He had sliced the bars only two feet off the ground, so he had to crawl out, but he did make it. He stood and dusted off his bright orange uniform (God, the color pissed him off to no end – he wanted _his_ clothes back!), before walking over to Yami, who looked so hopeful in that moment.

Then Bakura turned at the last second and started making his way towards the doors that lead out. Yami growled and shook his fist at his "friend". "Bastard! Let me out!" The other paused, and then seemed to think hard over this, before he turned back and, grinning widely, and started working on getting the prince out. It didn't take too awful long until Yami was standing in front of the taller male, glaring. "I should have you thrown back in there for that one."

"Psht, you wish. But you need me too much," the other shot back, batting his long lashes at Yami. The said red-eyed alien snorted and went to grab the only means of communication with their home they had. It was then he noticed something in the reflection of the metal on the transmitter. Slowly, he turned his head up to the ceiling and saw a security camera staring right back at him.

"Bakura?"

"What, now, Mr. Bitchfit?"

"...How about we _run_?"

"Wha –... oh."

A pause.

"Yeah, that sounds pretty good right about now."

The door had never been opened that fast. The only evidence that they had ever been there were the signs of escape and the device used to get them out, which was just five inches too far for the man who'd "given" it to them to reach.

---

Mariku hadn't made it too far before he was tackled and dragged to the ground, struggling all the way. They had started putting cuffs on him again, and the men doing so asked their boss if they could get a muzzle and straight jacket for the freak. It was at the point that a man ran up, quite out of breath and looking more than a little unnerved.

"S-sir!" he gasped, looking at the officer who had been so involved in all of this (and had his badge stolen somewhere in there). He cast a weary and fearful glance at Mariku before he held up several papers of the tests that he had run on the three's blood to hopefully identify them. But he had gotten results that were definitely not what he had been expecting. "Sir, their... their DNA, it's not... it's not human."

There was stunned, horrified silence, broken only by Mariku grunts as he struggled fruitlessly. No one knew what to say, and it became ever so obvious about the tanned male's pointed ears and teeth and strange language.

"There's no way that test could have been wrong?"

"N-no sir, we..."

But he never got the chance to finish his sentence, seeing as how they were suddenly pushed to the side and Mariku was ripped out from under the men holding him down, Yami having taken the blonde's left arm and Bakura his right, both practically carrying their companion as they ran like the felt they never had before.

"Hey! Stop them!" the chief shouted and reached down for his gun, only to find the screws had been taken out and the head of the gun thudded to the floor. "Fuck!" he screamed, looking down at his dismembered firearm. First his badge, now this!

---

Not really sure how they had managed to not get caught, the three made their way through the building, having gotten lost more then three times now. Then again, it wasn't like they really knew their way around the building in the first place. But as long as they just stayed together and kept contact...

Panting, Yami and Bakura leaned against the door, making sure that if the occupants of the police station _did_ find them that they wouldn't be able to get in without a rather obnoxious fight. But after looking up, the tri-color-haired male's face dropped in something almost akin to disbelief when he spotted Mariku, having found a computer, was typing away frantically. "Mariku," he began, not exactly sure what the other was doing. "Now's not..."

"I'm hacking!" the blonde chirped happily, speaking as normally as if he were talking about a favorite pastime or place to eat.

Oh. So the idiot was up to it again...

"Mariku, that didn't even work a first time–"

"Not doing that," Mariku replied, not caring that he just interrupted the prince. "Doing a favor," he continued, not once taking his eyes from his work (though he occasionally glanced from the screen to the keyboard a few times). Bakura raised an eyebrow, but before either he or Yami had a chance to ask what "favor" he was doing, there was yelling outside of the door. Deafening silence filled the room and the air seemed to thicken, making it hard to breath. But after a few incoherent shouts, the sound of feet stomping down the hallway outside their door seemed painfully loud, and then it began to fade. Yami let out a sigh of relief, while Bakura's body just relaxed.

"Done," Mariku chirped from directly over the shortest male's shoulder. With a sharp gasp, Yami jerked away, just managing to strangle a yelp.

"Mariku!" he hissed angrily, his voice an angry hiss. What would have happened if the other had startled him bad enough to shout? That would surely get them caught. "Don't do that!"

Bakura cleared his throat. "Someone's got to go out there and make sure everything's clear. I vote Yami."

"Second it," Mariku replied without any hesitation.

"Wha– hey!" the prince cried. Why the hell was he being volunteered? "I'm hardly sneaky! That's Bakura's area." Here, he shot a nasty look at the white-haired male, who rolled his eyes.

"Fine, I'll do it, you spineless curd."

Yami just watched him with an agitated stare. Oh, he would pay once they got home... But then he paused. Wait, if the three of them just had to stay together and in one spot, not moving, why not stay in this room? "Why do we even have to leave?"

Bakura turned, giving the prince a look. "I don't know about you, but I think it's a lot more entertaining to do something that just sit in this musty old room and wait." So it was a game to him, then? Bakura usually wasn't completely well in the head, but Yami had hoped he had at least enough sense to realize when they should just quit. "But what do you think will happen when they find us in here? And they will, you know. Do you think they'll just let us stay together, just because we seem to want to? It's not like we could tell them we have to be touching, anyway."

Oh. The shorter's face grew grim. That was a very strong point. But there was still a chance that they would stay hidden long enough... Though, it was a very slim chance. The violet-eyed male nodded, realizing that they really did only have one shot, now. The paler man turned and quietly opened the door just a crack at first, peeking out into the hallway. After seeing no one, he opened it just wide enough to slip through and crept silently down the tiled floor, shoes not even uttering so much as a squeak. And then he was out of sight. The prince held his breath a bit, praying to any deity that would listen that Bakura wouldn't get caught. Feeling a little uneasy about the whole situation, he reached out and pulled the door until it was almost shut, or at least it gave the impression that it was. Mariku began humming to himself, walking around and looking at things around on the walls and tables. There wasn't much at all, since this room seemed to be all business and not one specific person's place of work. Yami vaguely wondered what exactly the room was used for, when the door hinges creaked as it opened, and his gaze immediately moved to see who had done it. Bakura stood there with his finger against his mouth, like the other two might shout. "It's clear," he told them, before he disappeared again.

Both of the other spiky-haired Althasians followed him out, Yami being careful to stay quiet, while Mariku walked normally, not even bothering to keep his pace up. He seemed to be enjoying himself just looking around, taking everything in. The shorter turned to tell him to hurry up, but the tanned being wasn't even paying attention at all. Reaching back, the tri-hair-colored male took hold of the other's hand, pulling him forward as if he were a child. "Do you want to get us caught?" he asked, his voice a little snippy. At the apologetic, hurt look he was given by Mariku, Yami sighed and then turned back to catch up with Bakura. But then his heart stopped.

Bakura was nowhere in sight.

And then his heart started again, but this time at a faster pace. The prince glanced around almost frantically, but still didn't see the one in question. Then, as a last resort, he looked to Mariku, who indeed looked the part of a child. A very, very tall child. A very, very tall child with muscles. A very, very tall child with muscles and quite a developed body.

But still a child.

He had a finger to his mouth, half-sucking on it, eyes holding a hint of unrest in them, like he wanted to find his mommy so he could get permission to go play instead of having to stay here with his babysitter who didn't let him do much because they were afraid of going against the parent's wishes.

"Did you see where Bakura went?" he asked, but Mariku didn't seem to hear him. Opening his mouth to ask it again, though more irritably, Yami was cut off when the other suddenly removed the finger from his mouth and pointed straight ahead. Gaining back hope that perhaps he saw the white-haired male, the shorter turned back around, his expression light. Well, it was, at least, until he saw what Mariku was pointing at.

The two officers stared back, almost as if they were a little, well, fightened? It was most likely that they were new to the job but asked to go find the possibly armed and definitely dangerous criminals who were loose in the station. Then the male suddenly spluttered out something and shakily grabbed his gun, holding it upside down. He then ordered them to do something in a wavering voice. Yami stared back, heart thundering in his chest, mind put on pause. Crap, what now? The female turned to her partner and then snapped something at him, and he suddenly turned his gun upright, having not realized that he had even had it held wrong in the first place. But as they both looked up, they only saw the retreating figures of the two escapees. With shouts of surprise, the two novice officers took chase.

Of course, now the two aliens were running in the opposite direction they had been coming from, and as they neared the room they had been hiding out in, they saw a man checking inside it. Suddenly more grateful than he could ever put into words, Yami marked off in the back of his mind to tell Bakura that he had been right. But then he remembered how much the other tended to gloat. Making a face as he and the tanned male made their way past the man, the prince decided against it. He didn't want Bakura to have a one-up on him, anyway. The guy jumped and turned, looking around as the two fledgling officers, who were making quite a bit of noise, ran past.

And so, the chase continued, gaining a few other people along the way. After quite a bit of running, Yami turned a corner, and his heart stopped again. Crapity crap crap. Where did Mariku go? Just as he was about to try to pick a direction and run, he was yanked back. He hit the wall, and cussed quietly, hand moving up to touch his shoulder that had hit the surface the hardest. But his dull ache was subsided when Mariku put his finger to the other's mouth. The shorter male's eyes crossed a little, as if he were trying to see where he was being touched, but then the blonde whispered into his ear just loud enough for him to hear. "We've been going to wrong way, your majesty." Yami blinked and turned his gaze to the taller and opened his mouth to ask how he even knew that when the rush of voices and bodies went past them. He stiffened before he realize something else. He had been pulled behind a rather large plant with brightly colored flowers of gold, maroon, and a few were dark enough to look black. The ever-present voice in the back of his mind prayed Bakura would never see this plant. He would never let Yami live down the similarity his hair held to it. Unfortunately, their bright orange uniforms stood out. But upon looking closer, he noticed a row of flowers just about the right color.

Well, damn. What were the odds of this happening?

And again, he was pulled from his thoughts when Mariku grabbed him and suddenly bolted. Because the other was over a foot taller, his legs were naturally longer, and this allowed him to be able to take longer strides, and Yami was having quite a bit of trouble keeping up. It would have caused distance between them if Mariku wasn't holding his hand, dragging him along. It seemed like forever, but with quite a few close calls and more than a little twisting and turning around corners, the prince started recognizing the area. They were getting closer to the entrance! Vaguely, he wondered how Mariku knew the way, but never got to ask, seeing as how they almost collided head-first into none other than Bakura.

"Where the hell did you go!" the white-haired male demanded, eyes flashing angrily. "I thought that you both could at least do such a simple task as following me, but I guess I was wrong!"

"Shut up and run," Yami told him, before the shouting around them became louder and the groups that were tailing them got closer. And this time, it seemed as though time were torn between seconds and hours as they finally make it out of the building all-together. It was completely dark outside, though street lights gave just enough light to see the path in front of them. But with such a ruckus, it was no wonder they drew attention as they fumbled over each other down the sidewalk, anyone in the way moving to the side quickly to avoid getting trampled. After realizing that they were far enough away not to be caught immediately, (though, they weren't really being chased at this point – a call had been put out for their immediate arrest, along with a reward) they paused for a breath. Mariku collapsed, and the other two, suddenly worried about him, were about to fall to his side and assist him, when the said male started acting like he was having some kind of attack. It took a few seconds to sink in for Yami and Bakura what he was actually doing.

He was sniffing the concrete. They were wedged in-between buildings, and it was a rather small space, but Mariku acted like he knew where they were and where to go. Starting off on his hands and feet, walking like he was supposed to be some awkward animal, the other two followed him. "Mariku, you dumbass, what are you..."

But Yami interrupted Bakura's words with a hand. "I think... he's smelling –"

"Well, not shit!"

Shooting the other an irritated glance, Yami resisted the urge to give a rude gesture to him, when the blonde gasped. "Pretty-Malik! Pretty-Malik came this way!" It took no time at all for him to start bounding, still on all fours, after the scent he'd picked up.

"Oh, for the love of..."

---

Ryou stood, holding the cardboard cat-carrier awkwardly, trying to keep from dropping it as the creature inside paced restlessly back and forth, yowling loudly in a tortured manner. Yuugi had begged his mother and grandfather to take them to Malik's apartment to check on him and give him an update. But first (after dropping Jounouchi off, of course), they ended up going by Ryou's home, where he dug out the carrier and, with help, managed to capture the seemingly feral cat. He had been planning on taking it down to a shelter, but he doubted anyone would want to adopt it... it attacked everyone who got near it. Well, everyone but Mariku. And thinking about Mariku brought on thoughts of Bakura. And thoughts of Bakura brought the memory of the said man lying on his bed asleep, holding his sister's broken rabbit doll... And suddenly, he felt like crying. Why? He wasn't a heartbroken girl! Hell, he wasn't even a girl! But it felt like... like he was going to miss out on something. Something like a really tight friendship, or some kind of close bond. What kinds of things would he and Bakura talk about when they were alone? He was sure that with enough time, they would become close...

But no; they were criminals. All three of those odd-looking men. They weren't to be trusted. So why did it still hurt...?

He had no idea that Yuugi was feeling something almost exactly the same, but for another person. But... but Yami had _lied_ to him to his face and he had _believed_ him! What an idiot he was... Though, he couldn't stop the bitter taste that crept over his tongue as he thought about what the police chief had said to him later on in their little "chat".

"_There's a good chance that the charges will be dropped completely if you say the right things during the trial._ _And believe me, kid, I don't want you to waste your young life away behind bars. You were dragged into this, so really, none of this was your fault. Those three even threatened you when you became concerned about the meaning behind their actions."_

"_Wha... No they didn't! They never threatened us – never!"_

"_Of course they did. Don't you remember? They even flashed a weapon__at you to show they were serious. And that's what the jury is going to hear. That has never failed to move them into an innocent/guilty ruling."_

"_I... No."_

"_...Excuse me?"_

"_I'm not going to lie and say they did something they didn't!"_

"_Are you defending them?"_

"_I... It doesn't matter! What you want me to do is lie about something that could sentence three people to death!"_

"_What about..."_

_A gasp._

"_Is that enough?"_

"_Y... Are you bribing me...?"_

"_Look, kid, just accept it and make this easier on all of us."_

_A pause._

"_So, how about it?"_

"_...How...? How can you sleep at night?"_

He never did bring that up to anyone. He might later, but he simply couldn't believe that... that someone who claimed to be working for the people – for _justice_, would do something so... so _wrong_! And it made him feel completely filthy, even though he hadn't taken the money. He had avoided the subject by saying that he would think about it. The man told him he hoped he 'made the right choice'. Yuugi shuddered. It seemed people even in the lower levels of the law could be corrupt.

It was then that the door opened, revealing Isis, who gave them a questioning look, which lingered mainly on Ryou, curious as to why he was holding a cat-carrier in front of her door. Shaking off the majority of his discomfort, the short teen smiled. "Hello, Isis-san," he began, "We, uh... we're here to see Malik."

The older woman seemed to think this over for a few seconds before she opened the door all the way to allow them inside. "Please, if you figure out what's wrong with him, let me know," she said quietly. Ryou seemed to be confused about this. He turned to Yuugi, giving him a look. The other scratched at the back of his head a bit, not once making eye-contact.

"Uh, yeah... I lied. Malik's not really sick." But that was all he said on the subject. The room fell into an odd silence, as they moved further into the apartment.

"Oh, Ryou..."

The said boy glanced up at Malik's older sister.

"What... are you planning to do with that cat?"

Suddenly remembering what was in his arms, Ryou gasped, before he set it on the carpet. "Oh, I'm sorry... Mariku had brought home this mangy old cat and I was going to take it by the shelter, but I didn't really feel comfortable leaving it in Mouto-san's car, and..." He trailed off on his nervous rambling as he seemed to notice Isis' stricken look. Her lips were pursed thinly and she did not look pleased at all.

Thinking it was something he had done, Ryou felt his cheeks flush. "Oh, well, I'm very sorry, I shouldn't have assumed I could take him up here, and..."

"Could you open the box and let me see it?" Isis asked, voice sounding completely normal, but her expression saying different.

The pale teenager, confused, swallowed the lump in his throat before he lifted a shaky hand to the top of the box. "Well, he's really wild, and I don't know if he'll run when I open this... it took Yuugi and I a long time to catch him..." But this didn't seem to put the woman off a bit. And so, with a sigh, Ryou undid the clasp and gently pried it open just a slit. His heart skipped a beat when _something_ ripped its way out of the opening so fast it caused Ryou to fall backwards, startled out of his wits. It turned out that something was Princess the cat, who was already out of sight.

Gathering himself, Ryou pushed his way onto his hands and knees, before an undignified yelp resounded through the room, having come from Malik's. Yuugi and Isis made it there first, since the long-haired boy had to first get to his feet and then gather up the box. With a bit of distaste, he realized the top of it had been torn as the horrible _thing_ had jumped out. When he reached his ex-crush's room, he saw the said Egyptian pressed into the corner, against the wall on his bed. He was staring at the cat as if it were some horrible demon come to take his life.

"Is _he _here?" he asked in a panicked voice. "He's here, I know he is..." Wide eyes looked to his sister's, who seemed startled that her brother was in such a state, where he had just been upset before. "Keep him away from me, please, I don't want him near me..."

Yuugi moved to his friend's side, reaching out to touch him, as if it would bring him back to reality, but Malik just shied away from him. Slightly hurt, but more concerned, the wide-eyed teen turned to his voice for help. "Malik, he's gone. He's locked up. The police took him away, and he's in jail. It's okay, he's not going to hurt you."

This seemed to leak into the blonde's mind and he stared at Yuugi, the fog over his eyes lessening somewhat. "But, his cat..."

Shaking his head in reply, Yuugi smiled weakly. In fact, it seemed almost sad. "We're getting rid of it. Mariku's gone for good."

"For good," Malik repeated, sounding a little hopeful.

Holding back the pain the words that were about to leave his mouth caused, Yuugi's smile widened and looked more natural, trying to reassure his friend. "I'd be willing to bet fifty billion yen that he'll never see the outside of his cell again."

---

Sugoroku Mutou sat with his arms crossed in the passenger seat of his daughter's car, waiting. He had agreed to give his grandson twenty minutes to brief Malik on everything that had happened and that was it. Then they were going to drive Ryou to the animal shelter, then back to his apartment and Yuugi was going to go straight to his room when they got home. Of course, he wasn't really grounded, but his grandfather and mother were quite a bit upset at the turn of events. But really, they couldn't be too hard on the boy. After all, they had allowed the criminal into their home as well. "I should have asked more questions," he muttered, shaking his head. Why had he been so accepting when the other refused to mention where he was from or anything about his family and friends? That should have been the first red flag. But he hadn't gotten any kind of funny feeling around that boy. Yami just... seemed like he could be trusted. Could it be that his judgement of strangers was going in his old age?

His daughter reached out and set a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Oh, dad, it's not really your fault. Some people are just... well, sneaky. They're so easy to trust and then... they're really not." Of course, she was really talking about men she had dated in the past, but still. It was basically the same concept, right?

Neither even took notice the three figures that passed by in the shadows and up the metal stairs to the Ishtar's residence, the leader of the other two acting suspiciously like a large dog.

---

A loud banging at the door cut off whatever had been going on in the teenager's room. Ryou and Isis had just been told what had happened, or what Yuugi thought happened, and Malik just shuddered and looked like he was ready to throw up. Or die. Whichever. Isis frowned, and, being close to the door, exited the room, making her way to the living room. But instead of answering the front door, she paused. The banging came again and she reached behind herself and grabbing the cordless phone, lifting it so that she could strike easily if she needed to. With her free hand, she cracked open the door, but was suddenly hit with the memory of The Great Cat Escape as she was thrown back, hitting the table that held the rest of the phone. She gasped, and held her side, which had struck the corner, and moved to get up. It took her a few seconds after it all happened to realize what had gone on.

Mariku, running by like his beloved Princess, darted through the living room before pausing at the hallway that lead to the kitchen one way, and to the bedrooms the other. He sniffed once before running off to the bedrooms. Two other men entered behind him, the one with white haired chasing close behind the tanned psychopath, while the one who had hair similar to Yuugi's paused and gave her an apologetic look. "I'm very sorry," he said quickly, reaching down and pulling her up to her feet. She was too stunned to do anything else but stare, mouth parted slightly. But as soon as she was to her feet, he ran off after his companions. "Have you no decency!" he bellowed after he disappeared around the corner.

Heart racing, Isis Ishtar just stood there dumbstruck for several more seconds, not having understand a single word that was spoken to her, before she gathered her wits and shouted after the three, raising the phone, either not realizing she was still holding it, or ready to crack some heads for barging into her house like that.

The instant Mariku entered Malik's room, the shorter blonde screamed bloody murder, before reaching out and grabbing onto Ryou with both his arms _and _his legs, causing the pale teen to be pressed way too tightly to the other, which, in turn, caused both of them be crushed as the Althasian leapt onto them and then slid off the bed, pulling them to the floor. Yuugi, stunned, just stood there staring, but because he was in front of the door, was promptly knocked to the ground on top of the three as Bakura smashed into him and then Yami, who entered last, tripped over them, completing the pile. Struggling a bit, Mariku managed to lift his face up and spotted something under the bed that made his eyes flash to life. "Princess!" he cried, before he reached out and grabbed the feline's tail. This caused a not-happy sound to come from the said animal. All in all, it was quite a sight. Malik was fighting and struggling, but under the weight of four other males, he didn't get very far. Ryou was struggling as well, but his was for the sake of breathing, not freedom. Mariku didn't seem affected at all, though his voice sounded a little strangled as he uttered a sound of pain as Princess lovingly began shredding his hand. Yuugi was kicking, his head having been covered by Bakura's chest and pressed down into Mariku's hair. Which wasn't a pleasant experience, he would later say. Bakura, though, was cussing at Yami, telling him to get off. But that never was given the chance to happen as all present were suddenly overcome by a sensation – one that felt very much like the tingly feeling when a body part "falls asleep", but all over and it caused their minds to fog up for a second.

Isis, who entered no more than ten seconds later, found the room completely emtpy.

**.: Chapter end :.**

Sooooo. Sorry for the wait. This chapter's 13 pages and 6,700+ words. Does that kind of make up for it? Despite the fact that, you know, it's mainly boring and stuff. Sorry this took a while, like all of my other chapters did. Dx

I'm a horrible author. Really.

I love you all so much for sticking with meeeeee. You guys rock!

But really, this chapter jumped out at me from nowhere. They weren't supposed to be found and captured this fast! And especially not dubbed as inhuman. Whee! So we'll just have to see where this takes us, ne? I had a lot more planned out to happen before they got caught, but yeah. THINGS LIKE THAT HAPPEN. Maybe I'll wedge some of those moments in later. But maybe just for kicks, you could, you know, throw out some random ideas of little moments that could happen, or even a whole filler chapter. FUN STUFF, HUH?

Now, watch me get nothing out of that. xD;;

Oh, and don't mind Malik. He likes being molested, secretly. He's just in denial.

So, uh. STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT EPISODE OF ILLEGAL ALIENS! -the _COPS_ theme starts playing-

-Cecilia


	18. Danger Identified

This is a big thank you to everyone who reads this, and even moreso to those who review. And for those of you who wished me well? You brightened my day. You guys are the backbone of this fanfic!_Happy _(slightly belated)_ Thanksgiving!_

**.: Chapter eighteen - Danger Identified :.**

Yami blinked open his eyes, attempting to rub the blurriness from them. After he looked around again, though he still had a few spots floating around in his vision, he saw that they were in a plain-colored room with several large machines in it. He blinked a few more times, wondering where, exactly, they were. Then his thoughts jumped back into his memory and pulled up the images of what had just very recently happened. It hit him hard. They weren't on Earth anymore. They were... they were home! He couldn't even describe how relieved he was. He turned to check on Bakura and Mariku, but was instead met with the face of a drugged-looking Yuugi. His mind shut down. Idly, he took in the sight of a Ryou who was practically being strangled by Malik, while Mariku was cuddling his precious little baby, the said animal looking rather dead and Bakura was just to the side of him, holding his head and looking a little ill. Then Yami moved to face ahead of him once more and saw several men who were dressed in "anti-germ" suits.

So they had been transported back, but they had to have been touching to save the time of having to find all three separately. That would take too long and run the risk of the ones left behind getting into danger. But, of course, the second they all toppled over in a pile was when the machine decided to pinpoint them and teleport them home. With the humans.

"_Ethe-hle_, are those...?" one of the men asked, slightly muffled voice filled of wonder. It was like he was looking at a new species of exotic animal for the first time. Well, he kind of was. Yuugi, not even realizing he was under scrutiny, shook his head a bit, seeming dizzy and unfocussed. He mumbled something to himself, before he looked around. When he spotted Yami, it was like time froze for a second, before fear began to creep into his heart. What was Yami doing... _Wait –_ Eyes becoming even wider than seemed natural, he realized that he was in a dull, gray, and very metallic room. A _foreign_ dull, gray, and very metallic room. A dull, gray, and very metallic room filled with _things_ who reminded him of people who worked with dangerous chemicals or radiation and had to wear hazmat suits. What the hell was going on? The fright, one akin to a trapped animal that's been taken from its territory, was now crushing down on him with such force it was overwhelming. He glanced in desperation to the one he had let stay in his house, but Yami just looked away as if he felt guilty and ashamed.

_What, now?_ the prince wondered. Wasn't it supposed to be a good thing if they were able to bring back a human for observation? Wouldn't three be better? So... why did he not feel so amazing anymore? After all the Hell he and his companions had been put through by humans... _But not Yuugi and his friends. They never did anything but try to help us._

"Go tell the chief!" one of the men shouted to another, who left the room, the doorway spraying a thin, germ-killing mist as the door slid open automatically. But all of this went mostly unnoticed by the three residents of the planet, though Yuugi couldn't help but stare in a confused and worried manner.

"Yami,"

The red-eyed man glanced up, seeing one of the suited Althasians kneeling in front of him. "Yes?" he asked, subtly urging the other to continue, if not with his answer, with his tone of voice.

"It's amazing what you've done – bringing _three _of them back with you! And... whatever that thing is," he added, motioning to the cat, who still didn't look full of very much life, tongue even hanging from its limp jaws. Mariku seemed oblivious, though, still cuddling the poor creature, despite that fact that one of his hands was scratched up and bloody. "But, Yami! It's just so... we could learn so much, now!"

Yami wasn't sure if he should bring up the fact that it was a complete accident or not. He decided against it.

"Fucking hell," Bakura muttered distastefully, just now getting to his hands and knees.

The man (most likely a lab worker) stood up and gestured for the others to do the same. Yami got to his feet easily, though Bakura seemed to be having a little bit of a problem. But he recovered quickly enough, and within seconds he was giving off his trademark glare. The prince then reached down his hand to help Yuugi to stand, but the human just stared at him, face contorted into a horrible expression. His eyes were burning with so many different emotions, that Yami couldn't make out a single one. Well, he could tell there was anger there, just by the other's body language. And that hurt, because the red-eyed male had never, ever intended to do this to the Earthling. But how could he ever hope to communicate that? He just made it evident on his face that he was apologetic. Yet, still, Yuugi refused to take his offered hand, and even went so far as to move back away from and then turn away.

Yami's mouth dropped slightly, and his hand faltered, fingers splitting from each other, a general look of surprise crossing his face. He knew the other was mad at him, but to not even want to look at him, even when it was obvious he was sorry?

One of the workers behind him spoke up. "Oh, Yami, don't mind him. He's probably just a little freaked out. I mean, most new specimens are. Don't take it personally."

And that stunned the prince pretty bad, too. He almost spoke up and said that they _weren't_ frightened animals that had no higher knowledge. He almost added on the fact that their species were so closely related... That just because the humans _acted_ differently, it didn't mean that they were _stupid, brainless_... _creatures_! But he didn't. He kept his mouth shut.

The man turned away, completely oblivious to the whole inner war against his own words.

"That's a load of shit. It is personal, and there's a chance the shrimp's never going to forgive you, much less trust you or want to be your 'friend'." The words made Yami's body chill over, and his heart dropped somewhere into his stomach, making him quite nauseous, as something else clotted into his throat. He glanced over his shoulder at Bakura. The other's brown eyes looked like smoldering coals in a dying fire. "You lied to him. You dragged him through the mud with you when you got in trouble with their law. We all did. Why should they _ever_ want to trust us?"

As much as he absolutely hated to admit it... Bakura was right. He was completely right. Why? Why would they ever want to be friends with the people who betrayed them – not only once, but twice? If knowing someone two days could make them friends, of course. But he had felt that... he and Yuugi had shared some kind of connection when they were sitting together, playing those strange games and Yami was tasting new things for the first time... They had been playful, and just to share that requires some amount of closeness or trust...

Yuugi, meanwhile, was trying to hold back bitter tears. They were ones of frustration, and it caused that disgusting taste to come back into his mouth. Where the hell were they, anyway? He was broken from his worried thoughts when he heard a very strangled sounding, "Yuugi," from the direction of Ryou and Malik. It turned out it was the paler of the two, who was being smothered by his blonde friend. He tried to peel Malik's arm from around his neck, and managed to loosen the other's hold enough to be able to talk normally. After a few seconds of drawing in breath, Ryou finally spoke again. His eyes held just as much fear as Yuugi felt, though his body language said he was more calm than he really was. Then again, it wasn't like he could do much with another human being attached to him. Literally. "Yuugi," he began again, more clearly this time, though his voice wavered a bit. "Where are we?"

Shaking his head a bit, Yuugi looked around as if he was, indeed, a trapped animal in a new place. "I was just wondering the same thing."

"I can't understand anything they're saying. It sounds almost like they're speaking Russian..." Ryou continued, knowing that he had heard this language before but not knowing where or when. Then he gasped. "Oh!" The shorter human's head whipped back to look at him. "Yami and the others talked like this when we first saw them!"

Yuugi's eyes widened at this. He hadn't even thought about that! "And then they something with those weird little black things!"

"They said they were translators–"

"–But I've never seen anything like them! And I know things like that would have been on the news!"

A horrified silence passed over them. That, and one single realization.

They had been kidnapped.

"We're gonna die, and they're gonna find our bodies in a gutter," Malik whimpered pathetically, still holding onto Ryou with all of his might.

And then something even more unexpected happened.

Ryou slapped Malik.

Hard.

"Will you get it together?" he shouted, and the Egyptian stared at the him, shocked, his face not really showing any signs of having been struck, since his skin was so dark. "We all get it – you're freaked out! But so are we! So get over yourself!"

There was a moment of complete silence, even the Althasians quieting.

"Damn, Ryou," Yuugi finally managed. Never had he seen his usually soft-spoken friend do something so... violent. It was then that the palest human seemed to remember he and Malik weren't alone and his face became tinted with a soft pink shade. He even looked, for a moment, as if he were going to apologize, but then his jaw clamped and he made a serious expression.

"Well, someone had to do it!"

As much as Yuugi agreed, he knew that now might not have been the best time, since really, what _was _best to do in this situation? Oh, right. Panic.

"Guys, we have to get out of here."

The message seemed to hit pretty hard and the humans glanced warily at the three Althasians (Malik cringed as he saw Mariku, Yuugi sent a glare Yami's way, and Ryou just looked hurt). "We don't even know where we are, though," The white-haired teen murmured, turning his eyes back to his friends.

"That's not going to matter until we get away. I mean, we don't really know how much time we actually have," the shortest male replied before looking over at his Egyptian friend. "Think you can suck it up for a bit?"

The violet-eyed human glared, almost as if he were himself again. "Everyone has breakdowns! I'm over it, though," he hissed. But he almost unconsciously shot Mariku another quick gaze and shivered like he had the flu, which caused Yuugi and Ryou to raise an eyebrow.

"Anyway, how are we supposed to escape?" the light-skinned male inquired, being sure to keep his voice low.

Yuugi shrugged. "Well, in every escape plan, there's always a diversion," he pointed out.

"But," Ryou added, "the person doing said diversion usually ends up screwed by default."

He had a point.

"Uh, guys, as fun as that sounds, I don't think anyone's going to be distracting anyone..."

A beat.

"Why?"

"Well," Malik began, lifting a finger and pointing at the hazmat-men with a fearful look in his eyes. "For one, they're coming over here like they're about to tranquilize a rabid dog."

Turning, Yuugi and Ryou suddenly became two perfect impressions of a pair of deer caught in headlights as they realized their tanned friend was right. Four or five were approaching with an air of caution the three humans. "Maybe... they just wanna talk...?" Ryou squeaked, moving into a position so that he could get to his feet easily and quickly, the two others following suit.

When Yami and his companions received those looks while the humans were conversing, there were mixed reactions brought about by them. The prince looked like he'd just been told an old friend from the past had died. Bakura snorted and looked away as if he didn't care, though he shifted in a way that made him look uncomfortable. Mariku paused in cuddling the half-dead feline to eye Malik, a small smirk forming across his lips as he did so. Just then, a different man from before walked up to the small group of three and began filling them in.

"The Earthlings, as well as you all," here, he inclined his head towards Yami, his eyes drifting to Mariku and Bakura before continuing; "have been in an unclean environment." He indicated that he wanted the three to follow him, and follow they did, though the red-eyed male turned back and looked at Yuugi who didn't even seem to notice him.

"We're going to sterilize you in a germ-free containment. You've seen it before, correct?" He seemed to mainly be asking the prince, but all nodded. The Althasian worker smiled behind his mask. "Good, that makes things a lot easier." He typed in a few symbols (which were assumed to be numbers) on the keypad next to a different door than the one that had been used earlier. It lead to a white, circular hallway. It was very short in distance, and had no windows or any form of light aside from the luminescent ones on the ceiling and that lined the sides of the walkway. It took almost no time for the four to cross to the other end of it, and once there, Yami turned his glance to the worker.

"Are you going to tell the, uh, humans about what you're going to do to them?" he inquired hesitantly.

The other chuckled a little. "No, no, we don't really want to waste time with getting communicators set up. Besides, once we have them cleaned off, we'll pull them out and talk with them and explain things then." After saying this, he opened the next door and the three were lead to what looked like a large, oval bubble. The substance it was made out of was severely see-through, and the bottom of it was flat, allowing someone inside to walk around (with what space there was, of course) without trouble. The suited man began unhooking the door to the machine when he turned around and gave the three a once-over. "Now's not the time, but later, you really have to tell us where you got those horrid-looking clothes."

Bakura and Yami both looked down and scowled, remembering the jail uniforms they had been so rudely forced into only hours ago. Mariku just looked from one side to the other in a shifty manner like he was hiding something, or didn't want anyone to know something he had done. There was a soft click and the transparent, circular door popped open, allowing the three entrance.

"Well, there you go!" said the worker, stepping back and smiling at them. "You all did a wonderful job. We'll take it from here, so don't worry yourselves!"

The prince still felt immensely guilty over everything they had put the humans who had done nothing but try to help them through, but the faster the decontamination was done with, the faster he could talk to the chief or someone of higher status in this operation. He sighed and went in first, followed by Bakura, and he by an uneasy Mariku. As soon as they were all inside, the door was shut and a hiss broke the silence of the bubble as a white spray began filling the room. All sounds from outside were completely cut off, so it was even more obvious when Bakura coughed. Yami sighed and leaned against the glass-like substance behind him, ignoring the odd smell and taste that came with inhaling the mist. Suddenly, a voice cut through the thick air.

"We're checking your vitals and brain functions to make sure everything is in order," it informed. The whole process seemed to be going normally before it came again and added, "Mariku, what the hell do you have in there?"

The short prince and the brown-eyed man both turned and gave their companion an odd look before noticing the bulge in his stomach underneath the orange jumpsuit-like uniform. The former groaned while Bakura rolled his eyes. "Take him out and stop looking like more of an idiot than you already are."

Almost in an ashamed way, the blonde reached inside of the one-piece and pulled out Princess, who still looked a little out-of-it. Then the cat's face immediately scrunched up at the smell and sensation of the air in the enclosure. It started writhing back and forth, trying to get away, hissing and growling. Finally, after biting the violet-eyed Althasian, he was let loose and hit the ground running before smashing head-first right into one of the walls. Princess then slumped down into a puddle of unconscious feline. Mariku tutted his pet and shook his head. "I told him to be a good boy, but he does not like to listen!"

Sharing a glance, Bakura and Yami decided to ignore that comment.

"Uh... should I ask?" the voice inquired, and there were a few others in the background.

"I doubt it," the tri-hair-colored male replied, voice dry.

There were a few moments passing before the silence was broken again. "Well, Yami, everything checks out with you fine. You can come out, now." The prince nodded and he was let out by the same worker from earlier.

"Just go through there," the other said to him, pointing at yet another new door, near the one they first same through, though on a different wall in the plain white room. "And head to your left."

Following the instructions, the red-eyed male found himself in a control-room, where the formerly bodiless voice was coming from. It was really just a black-haired man with a set of vivid green eyes who smiled and waved. "Hey! Congratulations, by the way," he said, before motioning Yami over. "But that aside, come look at this."

The prince frowned and walked towards him, now standing in front of a large window that showed the area with the bubble he was just in. It was impossible to see that it was even there when inside that room. Pressed against the window was a table full of electronics and blinking lights and screens. One of the screens was constantly writing out words and numbers faster than anyone would have been able to read it, but it was also printing the information out, which enabled that formerly lost ability. "What's wrong, Otogi?" Yami asked the head scientist curiously.

The green-eyed male flipped a switch and a human-like form appeared on one of the screens. "This is Bakura," he said before pointing to one of the symbols next to the body. "His heartbeats irregular, and his immune system is being eaten away."

The prince stared, horrified, before he leaned in closer. "He's been infected by something?"

Otogi nodded, his lips pursed. "He's not dead already, so I doubt it's too bad. But we have no idea what it is, so we have absolutely no way to treat it."

"This isn't good," came a new voice. It caused both to jump slightly and turn, seeing a familiar face.

"Chief!"

The old man's arctic blue eyes blinked down at them. "Last time I checked, that was who I am, yes." Yami let out a relieved chuckled at that and gratefully received the welcoming handshake. "You all did excellent on your mission. Three of them! And they resemble you, as well. Was that why you chose them?"

Shaking his head, the shorter male shrugged. "It just... worked out that way." He trailed off into silence, thinking about how he should go about explaining that the humans were more like _them_ than some horrible, "violent new species" that needed to be watched like some kind of specimen. "Uh, sir," he began, but got caught in the other's aqua stare. He suddenly gasped, a light going on in his mind, the vision being the brunette on Earth who was so rude and refused to be referred to as "Seth", though it was his name. "Oh, sir, we found your–"

"Uh, guys?" came the interrupting voice of the scientist. Both moved their gazes to him quickly. "You might... want to have a look at this." He pulled up another status screen that showed the brain activity of the inhabitants of the dome. There were three. One was mostly flat, no thoughts going through the mind of the occupant. The other two were active, but one was almost just a single, thick line covering the whole screen. The elder inhaled sharply.

"That looks like..."

"That's Mariku," Otogi murmured, awed as well. Yami stared. He reached out and pointed at the flatlined one.

"Are you sure _that_ isn't...?"

"No. It's definitely him."

All three watched the blonde inside the decontamination bubble cocking his head to the side every so often and looking around like a bird would. He looked like a completely brain-dead moron.

"Oh, dear gods."

"He's... a genius. With that much activity..."

The prince shook his head. "He's had tests run on him and I have to stand being around him more than I would ever care to. It's rare that he ever does anything... worth applause" _Although, there was the whole hacking thing back on Earth..._

"Well," Otogi put in, "he might not know it. He's not a normal guy, we all know that. It's possible that something's not wired right and he can't tap into his own mind most of the time."

This news was certainly unexpected, and Yami would have tried to comprehend the information that he was ingesting had his eyes not wandered over to where Bakura's vitals were being monitored. The red orbs widened drastically at the notes on the side of the picture that started flashing dangerously. "Otogi, something's wrong."

The scientist looked over at what was the center of worry and paled slightly. "Oh, boy." He started typing something into the large computer system and then sighed. "We have to get him into quarantine." He continued his typing. "It's fine to handle him for now, because we've killed the infection on his skin. It's his insides that are being ravaged." But even though he was explaining this horrid circumstance to everyone in the room who would listen, the Bakura in the bubble was just glaring at everything around him, obviously aggravated at not being able to leave already. Upon looking closer, the prince and the blue-eyed elder did notice that he seemed to be just barely more worn-out looking than usual. Otogi leaned forward and hit the button on the panel and spoke into it. "Bakura, you've caught some sort of illness while on Earth, and we're going to keep you away from others so it doesn't spread while we figure out how to kill it." The brown-eyed man looked a little startled at this and started looking himself over (though he still had the orange suit on), as if making sure he still had all of his limbs.

"Well, hurry up and fix me!" he shouted, getting over his shock and once again gaining his irritated look.

Mariku looked up at his friend from his sitting position on the floor with his eyebrows creased and a worried expression on his face. "Mariku will kiss it better!" he cried and got up to throw himself ontop of the white-haired Althasian.

"Mariku, no!" Yami, Otogi, and their leader called from inside the control room. "Don't put your mouth on him! It may spread to you!"

The tanned male looked as though he'd been stabbed. Depressed, he kissed the tip of his finger and pushed it against Bakura's cheek. The other swatted the hand away and growled. "Touch me again, and I'll make sure you're dead before I am."

"You're not going to die, Bakura," Yami deadpanned.

Otogi ignored them and motioned for a man who was standing by in the background to come forward. He did so, and bent down so the scientist could speak quietly to him. He nodded once before straightening up and walked out of the room. Moments later, he reappeared in the same room as Bakura and Mariku. "Bakura, you go with him. He'll take you to quarantine." Grumbling, the pale Althasian did as he was told, exiting the bubble leaving the room. "You can come out, too, Mariku. And, uh..." he trailed off before turning to the prince. "Yami, is that thing he brought with him safe?"

Tempted to say no just because that damn feline had attacked him so many times, he finally sighed and shook his head. "It has some nasty claws and teeth, but that's about it. If it puffs up and hisses, just back away. Fast."

The chief raised an eyebrow, silently asking the other how the blonde got such a horrible creature, but it wouldn't have been his first, really. Making an unsure face, Otogi slowly nodded. "O...kay then." He turned back to the microphone. "And bring that thing with you, too."

"Princess."

The cat-eyed male gave Yami another look. "What?" he asked.

"He named it Princess."

"Oh, _Ethe-hle_," the scientist muttered. "He's going to end up keeping it, isn't he?"

"Yup."

"Just another to add to the list..."

Yami sighed. "Genius, huh?"

"Peachy," Otogi muttered. Then the door opened and Mariku came strutting in, Princess resting unconscious on his head like some awkward hat.

"I'm too rich to die!" he proclaimed randomly before throwing himself down on the floor and ceased all movement. Yami and Otogi ignored him and watched as the humans were lead into the room, all three looking terrified and confused. The prince felt his heart clench.

"They don't know where they are or what we're doing. They're scared," he said, half talking to himself, and half telling Otogi and the chief.

"I don't blame them," the black-haired man murmured back in reply while the old man leaned closer.

"The tanned one sure is spunky," he commented. Yami nodded.

"That one's Malik. The other two are Yuugi and Ryou," he informed. Then he turned his gaze back to the scientist. "Otogi, explain things to them. Otherwise, they, uh. Might not be willing to cooperate as readily?"

The other waved a hand at him. "It'll take a while to find the right level to talk to them on. We'll figure it out while they're getting cleaned." He said this rather absently as he worked on the buttons and switches on the table before him. "Alright! And we're ready to start the shower!" With one last flip of a switch, the mist began spraying out on the Earthlings, who obviously did not enjoy it in the least. Yami groaned.

"I have a bad feeling about this..."

---

"They're going to kill us!" Malik growled, making Ryou shudder and Yuugi roll his eyes, though he wasn't as calm as he appeared. In fact, he wasn't doubting so much that they weren't going to walk out of this alive, but if he didn't say it, maybe the general aura would become a more hopeful one? Ha, thanks for ruining that, Malik.

"Shut up," he grumbled, following the thing he was walking behind. It was a "thing", because he refused to associate it with something like human, as he himself was. "We're not going to die, okay? We're going to get out of here."

Malik, who was having to be restrained with his hands behind his back with some form of surprisingly soft, metallic rope. He jerked around in the Althasian's grip and made animal-esque noises.

"Malik, just calm down! Look, if we do what they want us to, they might actually trust us enough to pay less attention to us and allow an escape!"

"I'm not going to just lie back and let them fucking probe me or shove some kind of rod up my ass!"

Both Yuugi and Ryou stared at their friend in a completely grossed-out manner. "Good God, Malik, you're acting like they're _aliens_."

Puffing air out of his nose, the Egyptian muttered under his breath and allowed himself to be forced along in a relatively peaceful way. Ryou quieted down as well, withdrawing into his own mind. What _were_ these people going to do to them? And did Yami and the others really betray them like this? Or was it all a huge misunderstanding..? But, wait! How _could_ it be a misunderstanding? There was nothing to understand in the first place! After that thought, the albino-like teen realized that he was only scaring himself further.

When Yuugi looked ahead, he noticed they were in a new room. A large new room. With... a bubble in it. "Uh, guys...?"

Ryou and Malik both stared.

There was a pause.

"Oh, hell no."

"I'm with him," Ryou added.

Then the door was opened for them by the hazmat man in front of them, and the three started to be pushed inside. Yuugi began backing up as best one can in a situation such as this. "What _is_ this thing?" he cried, suddenly wondering if they were going to fill it with water and watch him and his friends try to get out before they drowned. Ryou whimpered and stumbled as he was pushed inside, hitting the smaller male and dragging both of them down in one swift movement. Malik gave a shout as he was practically thrown inside. The door was shut, and the outside world was turned into silence.

"Oh, God, did they just lock us in a fish bowl?" Ryou asked, sounding horrified. He moved over to the door and put his hands against the glass-like substance. It didn't budge. "They did!" He lightly banged on it and barely got so much as a dull thump. "Oh, man..."

Suddenly, all three stopped breathing at a new sound. It was a low hiss and slowly, they began to feel a light damp layer of _something_ hit their skin. They looked up and all Hell broke loose. Yuugi and Ryou covered their noses and mouths with their hands, the latter curling up into the fetal position, praying silently, where the former scooted himself back until he hit the wall. Malik, on the other hand, totally flipped. "Didn't I tell you?" he screamed, getting to his feet. "They're fucking gassing us!" Then he lifted one of his feet and began to kick the side of the bubble as hard as he could. The thuds seemed to vibrate the entire structure and Yuugi started to wonder if it was going to cave in on them before they died from being trapped in this gas chamber. But the blonde didn't stop. "LET US OUT!" he shrieked, before he started ramming the side with his shoulder, throwing his entire body into his thrusts. Slowly, a crunching noise started to become more apparent. Then a small crack appeared and Malik pulled back, shoving his foot through the spot, breaking a hole through the wall.

---

"Oh, gods above!" Otogi cried, before he stood up and started shouting orders to others. The chief looked on with a horrified gaze, as did Yami. Mariku even got up from his spot on the floor and blinked out of the window at the scene.

"He's too wild! Calm him down! Do _something_!"

But all watched, transfixed, as a worker in a suit tried to pull the Egyptian out of the decontamination chamber, only to get bitten. Malik, however, didn't plan on letting go any time soon. His leg was bloody, he was bound, and yet he still had enough fight in him to attack.

The scientist sighed heavily and fell back into his chair, not bothering the catch his weight. He ran a hand through his hair and looking on solemnly. "Guys... I don't... think we have much of a choice."

Yami, mouth hanging open slightly, turned to the other. "What do you mean?" he asked, feeling adrenaline pump through his veins. But at the words, he felt his blood turn to ice. No other choice almost always was something final and furthermore _not good_.

Otogi shook his head. "He's... an obvious danger to himself and others."

"He's just scared! I told you to explain–"

"Yami," Otogi interrupted. He was of higher rank than the prince from another world, and he commanded his power firmly when he needed to. "Yami, he's too violent. We're going to have to put him down before he causes _more_ irreparable damage."

They... they were talking about all of this like it was nothing! Like the humans were some kind of dumb animals! _Feral_ animals that had no hope whatsoever in becoming tame! And... and Malik...

They were going to kill Malik. Just like that.

"Oh, shit."

**.: Chapter end :.**

Waa. I hate this chapter so much, it isn't even funny. I hate the way it's strung together, I hate the way it flows. -kicks the air- UGH.

But yeah.

It's out.

Whee.

And how many of you caught the line from the Abridged Series? 8D I'm so witty. -dies-

Enjoy. Or attempt to.

-Cecilia


	19. Conflict of Interest

I'm so effing sorry this has taken so long! I've fallen into a writing slump, it feels like. Either that, or my inspiration ran dry. Hopefully it'll come back soon.

Oh, and I'm probably going to go blind, too. And I need "major surgery". And I'm getting depressed again. And I had a mid-life crisis.

This has been such a fun year so far.

BUT ZOMFG, 19TH BIRTHDAY'S IN THREE MONTHS, I JUST RECENTLY GOT HOME FROM ANIME MATSURI LAST WEEK, MY GRANDFATHER AND AUNT ARE DYING, AND I CAN'T SEEM TO GET MY BRAIN TO WORK PROPERLY, WHOO! -throws confetti-

I know it's really lame, but Kaine, an internet friend of mine, and I made some really stupid videos before, during, and after Anime Matsuri. Maybe you'll laugh and kinda forgive me for being such a bad authoress...? I'm the holder of the camera, and I'm never in the videos! xD I'm in a few of the pictures, though... I made a really lame Kyou, and Kaine made a kick-ass Seto Kaiba and Pyramid Head. Next anime con, if I can get the costume in time, I'm going to go as trench-coat-donned Yami Bakura. Kukuku...

Oh, right. The video. Here. 8D (Take out the spaces. There's also an equals sign in-between the v and the JM. Man this website is getting annoying when it comes to what you can and can't post in chapters...)

http://you tube . com/ watch? v JMkzSmdz5wo

(In case you care, I'm the moron in the green wig in the first picture when the slideshow actually starts up.)

-coughs- Er... yeah. Hope the chapter is at least _decent_.

**.: Chapter nineteen - Conflict of Interest :.**

Truly, it was amazing what the imagination could do. Because certainly, _certainly_ she had not heard the sound that was akin to someone being electrocuted. And certainly she had run into the wrong room on accident and was not seeing things correctly. _Certainly_ her brother, his friends, and the three criminals had not just _disappeared_. Staring with wide blue eyes, Isis remained still, horrified and confused. No, this was Malik's room. This had always been his room, ever since they had moved from Egypt. This had been the room that she had seen the boy crying in earlier. This had been where her heart had broken watching him like that.

And now it was completely empty.

In fact, the entire apartment sounded empty – there was no other noises, save for her pounding heart and panting breaths. "Malik?" she asked, voice not but a whisper. "Yuugi?" he asked, her words raising in volume and pitch. "Ryou?"

She got no answer.

Frantically, she ran into the messy room, lifting up the covers to her younger brother's bed. Then she moved to grab a sock that had been thrown onto the floor, picking it up and staring frantically down at the spot underneath it. Hey, it wasn't really so farfetched, right? Plenty of things had gone missing in this room and they always ended up buried under something! So she just had to... had to keep looking! It was completely realistic that six people and a cat could get lost in this pig-sty!

Breathing now escalated to a line just under hyperventilation, the black-haired woman began, literally, tearing the room apart. But after fruitlessly searching, she finally give in to the realization that, no matter how many boxers and old shirts and pants she looked under, she would not find them here. Refusing to give up, however, Isis ran to check the other rooms in the small apartment.

After all, it wasn't as if they had just vanished into thin air.

Right?

---

As Otogi reached for the microphone to share his plan with the workers, there was an almost tangible mist of horrified silence that clouded the room, preventing coherent thought from being formed. No one, however, said Mariku's thoughts were ever coherent to begin with. He growled, his fangs bared and his shoulders locked in a position that spoke nothing but offensive and territorial language. "Mine!" he barked, startling Yami enough to jerk out of his trance and look to the blonde, and leapt forward, smashing into the ebony-haired man and knocking him completely off of his char. The thing that the short prince thought was the most satisfying was the loud _crack! _that was heard when Otogi's head hit the control panel as he collapsed under Mariku's sudden weight. The said Althasian wasted no time whatsoever in bounding off of the head scientist and out of the room entirely.

Yami shook his head, clearing it of the rather mutinous thoughts he was getting for his higher-up and turned, seeing the master behind it all (or, at least, the original plan) try to follow after Mariku, though he was much slower due to his age. The red-eyed male then came back to the hear and now. _Malik! _He quickly leaned over the electronic panel with all of its flashing lights and many buttons, eyes trained on the scene below. The Egyptian human was slowly losing his fight against the workers while Yuugi was pulling as hard as he could on his friend's arm, trying to get him away from what must have been monsters to them, but this sight didn't last long. Almost immediately, a new flash of bronze and gold entered his vision and slammed into all of the men, causing them to fall over into the chamber. Shaking the small bits of broken glass from his hair, Mariku stood up and began running in the opposite direction, and it took Yami a moment to realize that the other didn't look _bigger _– he had Malik slung over his shoulder and was making his get-away. He was out of sight, now, and the tri-hair-colored prince was at the doorway in less than a second, looking out into the small hallway and curling his head, seeing Mariku barreling towards him. If he hadn't pulled his head back in as quickly as he had, he most likely wouldn't still have it. After the two went by, Yami stepped out into the thin walkway, watching their retreating backs and hearing Malik screaming what could only have been a long string of nothing but profanity.

"Ma... Mariku!" he shouted, his feet feeling like they were glued to the ground, keeping him from chasing them. "Where are you going?!"

But he got no answer, though there wasn't much time _for_ one as the old man came up behind him, demanding that he move. Normally, the shorter man would take to the order quickly, though this time, he paused, feeling a lump forming in his throat. Mariku had just broken quite a few rules and guidelines, possibly even laws. Hell, he just became pretty much a rebel, making off with the "enemy". If he got caught...

Turning his head back, he looked at his chief in the eyes, his expression both determined and solemn. "Let them go," he uttered, his voice quiet but firm. "They're not going to do anything." Though, in the back of his mind, he wondered why the spiky-haired blonde felt such a strong, protective, possessive urge towards his look-alike. It was obvious Malik did not feel the same, so it wasn't mutual friendship. What then? He was almost acting as if–

The prince's eyes widened. Oh, Ethle-he. Did Mariku really...? With a _human_...! The knot in his throat grew larger, and it was hard for him to swallow around it.

"What do you mean? He just–" the older male began, his cold blue eyes flashing, reminding Yami very much of someone else. But his thoughts were rudely interrupted by the group of workers who had been toppled like dominoes. And the red-eyed Althasian got the feeling that they weren't yelling because they were happy.

"Let us by! We have to stop him!"

Yami had never been so thankful that this hallway was so small.

---

Sugoroku had felt that he had spent quite enough time sitting in the car, since he had thought that he had made it clear as crystal that Yuugi was to be back as soon as he was done explaining things. He let out an irritated grumble, eyes turning towards the stairs that lead to the upper apartments. He was rather surprised when he saw the woman who was the "mother" of the Ishtar family come practically sprinting down the steps, throwing her head from side to side as if she were looking desperately for something that had only recently gotten away.

That wasn't a very good sign.

Feeling both curious and anxious towards the answer he would gain from his question, the old man tentively gripped the handle of the door, pulling it open and stepping out. His daughter gave him an odd look, wondering what he could possibly be doing, checking to see if her son and his friend were in view. When she saw that one blonde boy's sister, she frowned, her mouth instantly dropping open, but the door was shut on her before she could even begin to voice what was on her mind.

The elderly shop owner approached Isis, who, once she saw him, temporarily ceased her frantic searching, though her fingers were wringing at her gown. "Mutou-san," she said quickly, stepping towards him. "Did you see anyone leave the building?" she asked, not even bothering to think too hard on why the man was here (since she was far too distracted to remember that Yuugi and Ryou had obviously not walked there with a cat in a box), her eyes pleading for his answer. The shorter of the two was somewhat taken aback by her words, and he could feel his aged heart weaken and his hair turn greyer at the implications.

"Where's Yuugi?" he asked, his voice coming out a lot calmer than he felt.

It was then that the Egyptian woman let out a sound that wasn't very human. "They're gone! They ran into Malik's room and now they're suddenly just... gone!" She wasn't lucky enough to sound even slightly composed.

Reaching out with an attempt at reassuring the woman, or, at least, gain her attention, Sugoroku glanced around, as if making sure that no one had bolted in the nearby area. "Please, calm down, Isis!" he said, thankful that her wide eyes turned down to meet his own. "They couldn't have just disappeared – they're around here somewhere." Then he paused, his frown intensifying. "Why did they run? And who was apart of 'they'?" It didn't make sense that Yuugi would run. His grandson not only knew better than to sneak away without telling anyone, but it also was against the boy's morals. He knew it would worry people, and so, he always left a note. He could have been chasing after Malik, though why the blonde would up and run was what the elder didn't understand –

"'They' are Malik, Yuugi, Ryou, and three other men!" ...At least, she thought they were men. One had run by so quickly she couldn't quite tell, but she knew for a fact that Mariku... Her heart skipped a beat out of both the memory of how he had flirted with her, but also with fury at what he must have done to hurt her brother so badly he started acting the way he had.

The grey-haired grandfather froze, eyes wide with what could be called fear. "What?" he asked, knowing that it couldn't be, but at the same time fearing that it was...

"They looked... like the boys!" It was so odd to say such a thing, but now that she thought about it, that was the best way she could describe them.

A single word fell from Sugoroku's lips, both unexpectedly vulgar and summing up the situation rather well.

"...Fuck."

---

"Yami, if you do not step aside–"

"Not until you've listened to what I have to say!"

Such a loud and demanding outburst from the short prince was something that was uncommon, for it only came about when something was nearing the edges of being _truly_ angry. He was growing tired of this mindless bickering, and fast. The group grew silent. "You're the ones who caused all of this in the first place!" Instantly noting the look that the man before him donned, the red-eyed Althasian shifted, speaking as if only to him but at the same time to the others as well. "Don't try to tell me that you wouldn't be scared if you had no idea what was going on and were in a place with technology you don't understand!"

It was then that something seemed to dawn on the chief, his icy eyes widened somewhat. "You pity them?"

Yami's face seemed to soften but a shadow came over it nonetheless. "It's not pity," he replied firmly.

"Yami, they are not like us–"

"But they _are!_" the shorter of the two snapped, interrupting his superior. "_I_ spent time with them, _I_ held conversations with them! You've just _watched_ them! How can you possibly tell me I'm wrong when you know less than I do?" It came out sounding as if it were something similar to an insult, but that was not how the prince had meant it at all, though right now he was far too worked up to think of apologizing. "Now _you_ let _me_ by!"

With quite a few shoves and more effort than should have been necessary, the spiky-haired male broke his way through the congestion, the five beings behind him remaining nearly silent, some unsure what to say and others not knowing what to do. Finally, it was the oldest who spoke up. "What are you doing?" he asked, his mind still repeating the words that had just been spoken so emotionally and strongly. There had never been a time before then that Yami had spoken in an ill manner towards him, and he was startled by the sudden change. Had it been because of those humans? Or was it something more?

"I'm going to tell them what's going on."

"...But you don't have a translator with you."

"..."

Obviously, this put somewhat of a damper on his initial plan, and Yami paused, his feet ceasing their movement, his lips pursed and his eyes showing his irritation. Turning back around, he once more forced his way between the bodies, grunting as he felt his ribs creaking, taking in air graciously once he was able to do the glorious task of breathing. Without another word, he turned into the door he had originally come out of, the others following behind him. Well, it was better than standing in the hallway, was it not? There were two men in suits who had no masks on, but were part of the medical staff, kneeling down around the head scientist. They had been there the entire time, standing in the background in case something happened – which it had. Yami gave Otogi no sympathy, even after the pathetic groan heard from the ebony-haired man as he tried to wake up fully from his the knock on his head. The prince, seeming as if he didn't even notice the other's predicament, bent over, asking in a voice that was far more bold than one would normally talk to someone who could easily punish them, "Where are the translators?"

The scientist winced, never once opening his eyes, the sound causing his head to throb horribly. "Please keep your voice down!" one of the medical workers said to him in a whisper. "He has a concussion!"

Yami refrained from immediately hissing, "Good," instead repeating his question, just as loudly as the first time, if not moreso purposely. He felt a rather strong and protectiveurge towards Yuugi and his friends, regardless of how they felt in return, and this man had so foolishly ordered one to be killed, leaving all of them in fear without an explanation. "Otogi, where are the translators?"

"Ah, they're over there!" the other said, his speech desperate and sounding somewhat like whining as he pointed across the room, his eyelids clamped shut tightly, his face furrowed in pain. When he received some relief from his pounding head, Yami was going to pay for acting out like this, and so was Mariku, but right now, the green-eyed man could hardly think at all without feeling as if someone was slamming a knife into his skull repeatedly. He was then lifted to his feet, his body, for the most part, limp, as the two beside him carefully walked him to where they could properly take care of him. Yami glared at their retreating backs, moving over to where he had been directed, opening the compartment and reaching in, sifting through a few things before winding his fingers around the device he desired.

"You have no right to disrespect him like that," came the serious voice from behind him. "He was doing his job and what he thought was right."

The prince turned his hard gaze to his boss, feeling a prick in the back of his mind, trying to tell him to protect his job. He was just beginning to find the words that he wished to speak, but the taller interrupted. "I don't like how you're acting, and you're going to hurt yourself if you don't control whatever it is making you like this."

There was a pause, before the red orbs dropped to stare at the floor, the lids closing over them in submission. "Yes sir," Yami replied, his voice much softer than before. What good would it do if he got himself thrown out? There was a voice in the back of his mind spitting at him and calling him a coward, but he did his best to ignore it. But was this truly going to better him in the longrun? Was this for the best? That thought alone sent a chill down his spine and he wasn't sure why, and so he lashed out by slapping that silly voice away. "Now if I may," the red-eyed male said and turned without waiting for an answer. Why was this situation happening the way it was? Was he the one acting as strange as they were saying, or was it the other way around? He had only been gone a few days, and yet he could tell things had changed drastically...

He had absently already slipped part of the translator into his ear, adjusting it so that it would stay in its place, now moving to fiddle with the piece at his neck just under his jaw, mind tracking back in a distracted manner, trying to remember what the language setting for the humans had been. Oh, well. He'd just have to figure that out, wouldn't he?

Again, a strange sensation rushed over him, like a tingle of his limbs falling asleep. He felt... numb. Detached. Why? Was it because his mind was trying to sort things out? Or was it a way of his body coping with the shock of so many things happening at once?

Without giving him much time to continue thinking through his condition, Yami found himself at the doorway to the decontamination room. His eyes washed over the scene quickly, seeing Ryou still sitting against one of the walls with his hands over his ears, eyes barely open. Yuugi seemed to be doing better, though he also looked highly agitated, but the prince could make out an undercurrent of fear and concern in the boy's eyes. He was scared, but he was trying to hide it. The teen who looked similar to himself... he held strength, despite his childish looks and innocent front. And the Althasian could only pray that his spirit would not be lost throughout everything that was and would happen to him.

"Yuugi," he spoke softly, almost as if he were trying to apologize for everything in that one simple word. Said male didn't even blink, continuing to give him a rather disappointed glare. But that wouldn't stop him, no, he would make things right. He owed it to all of them – for in the end, it would benefit everyone, even if some were too stubborn or ignorant to realize it.

Fingers twitching over the knob on his neck, he heard a slight crackling of static, and then tried to communicate. "I need to know when you can understand me."

Instead of receiving no reply at all or a 'now I can,' Yuugi blurted out a rather rude greeting. "What," he questioned flatly, enough so that it was hardly a question at all. Sure, the taller male had realized that he had hurt the other, broken his trust, but this hit harder and proved that he had done a lot more damage than he had first estimated.

Blinking his eyes shut and sighing, Yami shook his head, his hand dropping down to his side and shifting, unsure of how to fix things. Could he at all? "You need an explanation," he said, finally turning his blood-colored eyes back to the other's angry grey. "I should have told you a long time ago, but I can't go back and change things." He suddenly paused before adding, almost to himself, "Well, I could, but I wouldn't be able to come back."

Yuugi, who had been holding his stare, faltered slightly, and now started to wonder if they had landed themselves in a looney bin. That would certainly explain why Mariku was apart of their group. His heart was still pounding, his adrenaline flooding through his system as he thought of his missing friend. But he had no idea where the spiky blonde had gone, and he knew that he would end up getting himself lost if he attempted to locate them... He would demand that Yami get Malik back later, because now, it seemed that he was finally going to get the full story on what was going on and why he and his companions had been kidnapped by these criminals. Of course, he was also still unnerved by the fact that they could very well kill him if he stepped out of line, but he wasn't just going to sit back and allow himself to be pushed around!

"Then just tell me," he said, his voice quite a bit more jittery than he was hoped it would be.

Great. That really made him sound intimidating, now didn't it?

But it seemed to jerk Yami from his thoughts, and the prince nodded, changing the weight on his legs. "Of course." Taking a breath, he finally began the tale that was long overdue. "My boss had been watching you–"

Wrong thing to say, because the color suddenly left Yuugi's face and in the background, Ryou, who had obviously not been blocking much out at all with his hands, turned his head slightly, looking quite disturbed.

"–not you specifically," the Althasian quickly added, knowing that even with such few words being said, he'd already messed up. "I mean..." But he couldn't seem to find the right track to be on. He shook his head and stepped backwards, leaning on the wall behind him, both of his hands lifting to covers his face and hopefully wipe away his sudden lack of eloquence. "Yuugi, we were trying to gather more information about your species. About humans. You're not on Earth anymore, and the self-righteous moron who's above me decided that you all aren't smart enough to understand this, and wouldn't let me tell you what I am now. I'm so sorry, Yuugi. I've messed up and I wish I could slap myself for what I've done to you and your friends, but right now, I'm trying to try to make my boss see that you and I aren't much different at all..." His run-on sentence wasn't exactly the most proper, but that didn't mean a thing at the moment. His gaze had left the two, and the prince only now realized it, and looked up, seeing an expression he couldn't read at all, but it seemed to be tightly connected with being disturbed.

Yuugi's mouth had come open, then closed, then open once more before he finally spat out the next few words, the first that came to his mind. "You're mad," he uttered, his voice shaking, much like his hands. "Look, we don't have any money, we don't know anything, and we don't want to be here with you and your group of psychos! Take us home! Make that maniac bring Malik back and let us go!"

Well, obviously this was going to be a lot harder than Yami had first anticipated. He could not find anything to say in reply, and his will was beginning to weigh down with all of the guilt and confusion and pity and everything else. His shoulders sagged and his head drooped, shaking back and forth. "I'm sorry you feel that way." A pause. "I'm not insane. I'm trying to help you." It was the first time in a long, long span that the red-eyed man's voice sounded broken. "Please let me help you, Yuugi. You have to listen to me."

Yuugi, who couldn't say exactly when his eyes had filled with tears, opened his mouth to continue lashing out, when there was a hand on his arm, and his head jerked around, settling on Ryou and he felt his muscles untense though only slightly. The pale teen's eyes said enough without words, before he, never once breaking his gaze with his shorter friend, spoke up. "Where are we?"

Yami felt some relief grasp his heart, that there was someone who would listen, someone who might be able to get Yuugi to do the same. "You're on Althasia. The workers took you in this room to cleanse your body and kill any germs or bacteria you might be carrying. The mist that was being sprayed was what was going to clean you. I should have told you sooner..."

The grandson of the game shop owner eyed his friend, wondering why he was giving into these people who were doing things that couldn't possibly be legal. But Ryou looked too distracted to notice this, his green orbs having wandered off while his mind did the same. "So you're aliens?"

Why was he so calm? Hadn't he been the one who had almost had a panic attack previously? The teen honestly couldn't answer that. Perhaps it was shock, but wasn't it best to just go along with things and perhaps dig out the truth behind the words and the actions along the way?

There was another pause, before the prince nodded. "Yes, I suppose you could say that we were."

Suddenly, the pale human gained a look of almost bitter humor. "So we're on your planet now? Yuugi, now we're aliens. This day is very weird..."

Yup. It was definitely shock, because now Ryou looked as though he were about to snap and start laughing like a mindless lunatic. Gripping his friend tightly, Yuugi tried to bring him back to reality – whatever the hell that was right now – and turned to Yami. "Where's Malik?" he asked, also too stunned to think of much else to say, much less hold onto his anger. No, there was plenty of time for that later. Later had so many things stocked up to it, didn't it? Later was going to be a busy time.

A shrug wasn't the best answer, however, though it was the universal one that needed no words to go with it. "Mariku 'rescued' him." But then what he'd said sunk in and Yami's eyes widened. "Gods, he really did rescue him." It once more came to him just what had transpired to cause him to finally make his way here to talk with the humans... But they didn't need to know exactly what had been about to happen. No, that could be withheld for the time being, if not completely. "He's fine. Mariku might be odd, but he isn't violent." _Not usually_, he added mentally. _He does bite quite a bit, though... _

Then, completely shattering his train of thought, the door to his side opened, and out stepped one of the men in suits, and then Yami suddenly realized that Bakura had been carted off through that door. "Bakura's sick," he said, mostly to himself. Turning to look at the two Earthlings, a desperate aura leaked off of him. The pale Althasian might be aggravating to be around, and he might gnaw on the prince's nerves every few minutes, and they might not always agree – or might always disagree, really – but Yami still cared for the other. "Bakura's sick," he repeated, this time louder, as if addressing the humans before him. Both of them stared at the red-eyed one before sharing a glance with each other briefly.

"I'm sorry?" Ryou murmured, unsure of what to reply with. Bakura had seemed fine only a few hours before. It couldn't be too bad. But then, Yuugi had said that Malik was "sick", but that had been a cover-up to something that had obviously emotionally traumatized him... He felt worry eat away at his heart, and it was easy to give into it, to get his mind off of other things. Perhaps if he distracted himself and gave all of this senseless information time to sink into his subconscious...?

"He got sick on Earth," Yami added, hoping that one of them would pick up on what he was hinting. He received blank looks. He sighed. "We know nothing about your illnesses, and our bodies have never been exposed to them." A continued blank look. A heavier sigh. "He could very well die."

A loud gulp was heard and Yuugi glanced to Ryou, seeing that the other was quite a bit paler than he usually was. "What do you want us to do?" the shorter asked, the undertone of his voice letting on that he was still not pleased with the situation.

"You know more about your world than we do." Now Yami, though understanding and usually patient, was starting to feel irritated. Could Yuugi not see that someone's life might be compromised, just because he was mad at the prince whose looks he shared? The boy was being overly stubborn and it was starting to get to be almost a bit much. Forgiveness had to be an option somewhere, and Yami had damn well gone out of his way to try to explain...

"Where is he?" broke the silence, Ryou stepping forward slightly, though one of his hands was fisted and pressed against his chest, a frown creasing his brow. True these men had proven themselves to be untrustworthy, and yes, it could very well be a plan to lure all of them away from each other for whatever sick and twisted reason, but Bakura... if he was really ill... no one deserved to be left alone to rot away like that. And Ryou had seen the other when he had his guard down, when he was asleep. He didn't look evil. Evil people looked evil all the time, but Bakura just looked... asleep. He looked like a normal person. Relaxed. Holding a pink, stuffed rabbit.

Perhaps that last bit didn't apply to everyone, but still.

Yami's harsher emotions washed away, though there was still a lingering residue left behind. "I'll get someone to show you where he is." And without looking, his hand shot out, grabbing the man as he was walking past, jerking him to stand beside Yami, which only made the prince look shorter than he was. With his free hand, the former alien removed the gadget from his throat and spoke, Yuugi and Ryou now being unable to pick up a single word of it.

"Show that one where you took Bakura."

The worker nodded, pointing at Ryou and motioning for the other to come with him, though, even behind the mask, he looked confused as to where everyone was and why the place looked like a wreck compared to what it had been when he'd left the room for only a few minutes. The green-eyed teen hesitantly moved forward, noting that Yuugi's hands were still wound around him. He gave a weak smile at his friend, and the tri-hair-colored human slowly let his fingers release the other's clothes. And off Ryou went, looking more nervous once he turned away, though from the back he seemed fine. With a rushing sound of air when the door was opened and closed, they were both gone, leaving Yuugi and Yami alone.

"So," the taller started after the lengthy pause, having reattached the electronic device to himself. "Would you let me walk you around? I'll answer any questions you have, and we'll try to sort this out."

"Go to Hell."

...This was going to be... a very long and bumpy road.

**.: Chapter end :.**

Bah. This chapter's choppy, the already out-of-character characters are even more out-of-character, and this took WAY too long to finish. I can only apologize immensely and hope that most of you are still with me.

And now that I've got this up and posted, I'm long overdue for a nap.

-Cecilia


	20. Lost in Translation

Sorry about the wait... I meant to have this chapter out, uh... weeks ago? To try to make up for my disappearance since Thanksgiving? And yet I cause another wait... 

And I got a few reviews saying that these past few chapters haven't been very funny at all. I'm really sorry about that. I've been trying to add humor in, and I thought I had been doing that, but apparently I haven't been doing a very good job of it. The main reason it's darker is probably a mix of several things I have no idea where this story's going from here. You see, this all started with a dream I had years ago. I woke up right as Malik was about to be taken out to be Euthanized. And so now? I'm winging it. Not only that, but I've been rather severely depressed lately... It's affecting everything. xD; My drawings, my writing... Hopefully I'll get help about it soon, though (since this depression has been going on, and getting worse, for roughly eight years). But for now? I'll still attempt at humor. Fortunately, however, I've been obviously blessed, because my role-play partner, amazing friend, and soul-mate (who are all the same person, nya Your Darling Mana) has helped me more than she could ever know. It's a possibility that I might still need professional help, but because of her, I am slowly getting better.

While I'm on the subject of her, though, I might mention our joint-account. xD We only have one fanfic posted, but. Well. You all should read it. The link to that account is in my profile. (_End shameless plug_)

But back to MY story.

The next three chapters after this one will be strictly working on the relationships.

IMPORTANT!: I somehow messed up the documents, and it took away "--" and all the bold and italics. If you see something that DOES NOT MAKE SENSE, I probably forgot to re-put the -- there. I'm very sorry; alert me to spots, and I'll fix them.

**.: Chapter twenty - Lost in Translation :.**

"I swear to fucking God, if you don't put me the fuck down _right fucking now_--!"

Obviously the overly loud temper tantrum was getting him nowhere, but Malik was still trying his damndest. Landing a rather abrupt knee to his abductor's ribcage, he was satisfied to feel the other stumble. But then he became quite distressed at the fact that the stumbling continued, and then gave a cry of startled unease when the both of them went down. Of course, it looked as if both of them were, but really, it ended up being Malik who wound up on his back, pinned down to the ground, staring up with wide eyes, the air gone from his lungs and apparently locked out because he felt his chest spasming with the need for oxygen. The people walking around them gave them both strange looks, wondering what exactly the two were doing, though several of them recognized Mariku and immediately decided that whatever was going on wouldn't make sense to them anyway.

The larger blonde grinned in an almost sadistic way down at his new friend who really didn't wish to be involved in this "friendship" at all. "I can't understand anything you've said," he cooed before he leaned down and licked his way up Malik's left cheek, causing the victim to struggle, which was a hard thing to do when one had no breath to do so. Gasping out the word "stop", he was finally released, and tried to sit up, though he was unable to get far on his own. And so, Mariku took it upon himself (or perhaps he just took pleasure from doing so) to wrap his arms around his Malik and lift him up into his arms the same way a husband would his bride, before he continued heading in a direction that could have lead to anywhere.

Gasping again, body convulsing, Malik shuddered, his head flopping almost lifelessly against the Althasian's shoulder, his airway finally beginning opening back up, though the human was too dazed to really pay that too much thought. He was too busy trying to remember how to inhale and exhale effectively, the other half of his mind half-heartedly wondering what the lump was that was pressing against the side. "Bastard," he sighed irritably, already wearing down. First he'd been molested, then kidnapped, then attacked, and then kidnapped again by none other than the molester. When was this day going to end? Come to think of it, why was the sun back up...? Hadn't it been nighttime? Oh, he was getting too old for this...

Smiling like the cat who got the cream, Mariku practically skipped in his steps, which was jarring Malik's neck, and he wore a pained expression in response. There was only so much he could take, tired or not! Throughout this entire on-the-go experience, Malik felt uncertain fear tremble in his heart, threatening to break free and cause him to have another breakdown. He was truly terrified of Mariku, but right now, he was pretty damn proud of how well he was containing it. Despite all of this, however, he could feel himself shaking, the smell of the other's musk forever imbedded into his mind and would most likely attack his nerves every time it touched his nose.

"I want to be put down," he said quietly, hoping that, perhaps, if he were more submissive, maybe Mariku would act like he could understand...

"I know, isn't the view wonderful?" replied the taller male, completely oblivious to the other's actual words, his mind ad-libbing what he wanted the other to say. "The suns are sometimes very bright, but in my house, it's dark and comfortable!"

Malik grew irritated at the Althasian's chipper tone of voice, and growled low in his throat, his fear and confusion turning into anger. "Just wait until you're asleep... you'll be lucky if I don't kill you with a pillow..."

"Oh, you're hungry? Mariku will feed you until your stomach is large and happy."

A heavy, shaky sigh and Malik gave one last struggle and attempted elbow, which wasn't very successful, before he slumped, finally giving up. At least, for the moment.

---

If it were possible, the hallway was even more plain and whitewashed than the others. It was enough to send a cold chill down Ryou's spine, though the exact reason was really more of a vat of different things all jumbled into one ominous feeling. He felt like he was walking through a morgue, going to identify a body...

Suddenly hit with a sense of deja vu so strong that he was literally knocked backwards and lost his breath, the pale teenager lifted a hand to his chest, his eyes wide and mouth opened, sucking in air unconsciously. The man before him heard the sudden change and turned, concerned that perhaps this boy was not well and needed medical help. "Are you alright?" he asked, but received no answer, at least, he didn't at first. Then the boy glanced up, sweat gleaming across his face, noting the look or worry on the worker's features, before he forced his suddenly far-too-dry lips upward into a smile that was meant to ease the other's concern.

"I'm fine," he whispered, even though he knew his words wouldn't be understood. Without assistance, he straightened up, lifting his hand to swipe the moisture off of his forehead, folding his lips inward so that he could wet them in the privacy of his mouth. Once more creating the empty smile, he shifted, unsure of what to do, so his fingers absently twisted and gnarled his shirt. After giving the boy a once-over, the suited man seemed to understand that what ailed the human was not physical, and continued to lead the way down the gloomy, unlived walkway.

After a bit more walking, he stopped at a spot where there was a number panel on the wall, though nothing else surrounded it to give an indication that it was worth stopping for. The man local to this planet, however, seemed to think otherwise, for he stopped, and pressed several keys, which Ryou half expected to beep, but made no sound at all. After a moment, the green-eyed male wondered if anything was supposed to happen at all when a sharp noise so abrupt shattered the air, he gasped, jumping, his heart thundering in his chest. Beside him, the wall had separated like blinds on a window would, only these seemingly disappeared, revealing a large glass panel that was so clean Ryou wouldn't have been surprised if there was nothing there at all. Inside, he could see a room just as plain as everything around it, bright, florescent lighting caused everything to glow in a manner that was not homey, but seemed to give off the feeling of a place one was not supposed to get too comfortable in. Standing on his toes, trying to get a better view, the human suddenly caught a glance of Bakura, who seemed to bled in almost completely to the room. He had been changed out of his bright orange one-piece jail suit and into a white gown. Idly, the thought leapt into Ryou's mind that, wherever they were, these people hadn't strayed far from generic hospital garb. But the longer he watched the typically moody male, he noticed that the Althasian seemed... almost listless. He didn't lift his head as all, and just sat on one of the chairs provided, remaining still, though with the troubled rising and falling of his slouched back, the teen wondered if he was truly dying already. But no, nothing on Earth could possibly attack someone and bring them to the edge so quickly! But the words Yami had spoken drifted back to him, and he realized that these people must have hardly any trouble with illness at all. Everything was so sterile...

Jerking his head up, he eyed the person he assumed was a medical worker, and nodded. He wasn't sure what he was nodding for, but... The other replied with the same response, going back to typing into the pad before a compartment that had not been there appeared, revealing some type of... thing. It was amazing how well and how perfectly everything here blended in so that, unless one knew they were there, were otherwise invisible. Reaching in, the man grasped the... container? With a tube connected to it. The taller turned, handing it to Ryou, who blinked down at it. It was surprisingly light, but he had absolutely no idea what it was. Seeing the confused expression, the other tried to give an example of how to put it on. After a few moments, Ryou came to realize that it was a breathing tube. But... why? Was he supposed to wear it while he was inside...?

A door opening just as everything else had startled the teen into nearly dropping the contraption, but in the end, he ended up gripping it tighter, his knuckles turning white. Obviously jittery but trying to calm the bugs that were crawling around in his stomach, Ryou, holding on tighter than he should, pressed the mouth of the mask onto his face, not knowing how to work it, before he was gently lead into the room. The man behind him remained outside, as Ryou noticed when he turned for approval or for wordless instructions on what to do. He got none as the door whipped shut so fast, his already tangled nerves twitched and caused him pain. With a gasp, he tried to find a way to ease his body, but the bugs in his gut were starting to get too restless. He felt like he was about to throw up, and he knew it wasn't from anything less than stress. Continuing to hold the clean air to his face (though, the tube that fed him air lead into small bubble, and Ryou wasn't even sure how he was getting air from it at all) he turned his gaze ahead, seeing a pair of brown eyes staring back at him. For a moment, his heart froze, but it melted away into a searing heat that caused his body to flash with the warmth. Bakura's eyes were nowhere near as intense as they usually were, and, in fact, they looked... weak. They were glazed, and the part that was usually white was tinted pink. The other's face was pale and the rims around his eyes were dark. He looked close to falling unconscious, and the sight in whole was enough to cause Ryou to lose his hold on the tube, dropping it to the floor. He scrambled to pick it up, but soon realized that the air tasted and smelled just the same as it had through the mask. And if it was truly an Earthen virus... he had probably already gotten it, and most likely was immune to it... or something like that...

Deciding to leave it where it lay on the floor, the human slowly stood, his eyes connected still with Bakura's. The other looked both surprised and irritated. He opened his mouth and made to snap at the softer boy, but the sound that crawled out of the darkness of his throat was nothing but a shadow of the fierce man's usual voice. And suddenly, it turned into a rough bout of coughing, the kind that tore its way from the chest and sounded more like a painful bark than anything else.

How was it possible for something to attack a person's system this quickly and severely...? Without knowing what else to do, Ryou inched forward, his wide and sympathetic eyes looking up into the other's own. He soon noticed that he was on his knees, his hand creeping up to set against the larger male's face. Bakura twitched and jerked away from the touch, sneering at Ryou.

Damnit. He did not want to be seen like this. It was humiliating and he wanted to be alone. He didn't want to be watched like a specimen. He wanted to curl up and sleep and wake up to a body that didn't ache so terribly, to a nose that wasn't running, to eyes that weren't burning, to a head that wasn't pounding with every beat of his heart. He was also cold, and wished they would have given him something more than this pathetic piece of rag to dress in.

Though the contact had only been held for a second, Ryou could feel the fever lying behind the lightly flushed skin. It was almost ironic how the body gained such a contrast in colors when there was something wrong -- the skin paled in illness and turned red with fever .

"Oh, goodness," he muttered to himself, quickly standing and looking around the room. There wasn't much, but he did spot a bed at the far end How was he supposed to...? "Bakura," he began, hearing the other grunt and vaguely give off the general idea that he was acknowledging the human talking to him. But he still didn't have the Althasian's attention -- he needed Bakura's eyes. Grabbing the larger man's hand before the said being realized what was happening, Ryou tugged him to his feet, which were unsteady and Bakura lost his footing, causing Ryou to cry out and just barely caught him. His back was creaking and his muscles were shuddering with the effort, but he was able to keep the other standing long enough for him to find his balance.

"I'm sorry," Ryou whispered, feeling bad about just uprooting someone who was this sick so abruptly... "You need to lie down, okay?"

Had he not been pointing towards the bed with his free hand, Bakura would have been absolutely lost as to what was being said. With a weak glare, he pulled himself out of Ryou's grip and slumped over to the bed, practically falling onto the stiff mattress.

This was not a good way to start a relationship, even if was going to be just a nurse and a sick patient.

Not that Ryou considered himself a nurse, of course.

Really.

---

"Or I could very well just walk out and leave you alone to figure out what's going on and to be at the mercy of idiots who assume you're nothing more than an animal."

The thought was not a pleasant one, nor was the way they were spoken. In fact, the tone was hard and chilled.

But neither was anywhere close to backing down.

"Go ahead. Sounds like something you'd do."

The spark of anger flared into a raging inferno. "How dare you--"

"How dare _me_? How dare _you_!" Yuugi rarely got this worked up, but the pressure had been building up and finally, it had gotten to the point where his petite body could no longer hold in everything he had been bottling up until now. "_I_ gave you a place to stay when you had nowhere! _I_ fed you when you were hungry! _I_ tried to make you comfortable and happy! _You_ lied to me! _You_ got me in trouble with the police! _You_... you _kidnapped_ me! And you have the gall to say 'how dare you' to _me_? You're lucky I don't _punch_ you!"

The loud and emotional outburst was followed by silence. Yami had not been thinking of the past in those terms, and he could not grasp onto exactly what he should say. Should he fight back? The answer to that quickly emerged at the sound of a sob, which came from the boy who was now having to hold himself up with the help of the wall, his other hand pressed against the middle of his face, his shoulders shaking and his head tipped forward, body shaking.

"I trusted you and you do this to me..." came the pitiful mumble that was nearly drowned out by the tears that were filling the large grey eyes. Any ground the argument had been standing on crumbled and the reasons dissipated.

"Yuugi..." Yami said quietly, suddenly feeling far more guilty than he had ever remembered in the majority of his life that he actually did remember. Without continuing to rattle on with a sentence that held no definite subject or direction, the center of the guilt continued on with Yuugi's monologue.

"I don't think I could ever trust you after this... you've just... ruined it all..."

About to repeat the mantra of the other's name, Yami was interrupted by the hazmat-man entering the room once more, utterly ruining the moment. He obviously sensed the tension for he froze up, looking completely unsure of what to do. And so, without a word, he slunk off around the two, trying to be inconspicuous, which was quite a task when one looked like he was dressed for a nuclear war. Yuugi, in the background, tried to control his erratic breathing and occasional tearful gurgles. He hadn't meant to cry and yet here he was doing just that. Wasn't that just like him, though? He had cried when a bully had taken a puzzle his aunt had given him when he was little, which he had brought to show Anzu. But, in his defense, it had been smashed and broken into an irreparable mess...

"I'll... go get you something to drink. That usually helps..." the prince began awkwardly.

"If you leave, you're not going to come back."

Of course, he had every intention of sticking around, but he somehow got the feeling that the slighter boy wouldn't believe him no matter what came from his mouth. Sighing, Yami reached out and took the smaller male's hand, holding tight even when the said teen attempted to yank it away (though it was a weak and half-hearted pull). "Then get up, you're coming with me. I'm not going to let you sit here by yourself, especially right now." What else was there to say? Yuugi really wasn't leaving him with much choice in the matter, was he?

The said human gave the Althasian a look, as if to say a mixture of many things at once, but none never made it past his lips. Part of him wanted to remain defiant, especially after everything he had been put through, but the rest of him did not wish to be left alone in such a strange place without any other means to communicate with anyone. And so, with his mouth pressed into a thin line, he shrugged, as if that were the answer to everything. "Only if you'll let go of me," he muttered distastefully. He wasn't a child that needed to be lead around by the responsible (HA! As if!) adult or else he'd get hurt or lost. He wasn't _stupid_.

But Yami was quick to respond, "I'll let go only if you'll promise to stay close to me and not run off."

Both seemed to become involved in some sort of staring contest, neither willing to break the gaze and show submission. At least, it remained that way until Yuugi finally made a noise as if to say, 'whatever,' and then closed his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest as the taller finally released Yuugi's hand from his grip. "Fine."

It certainly didn't seem like much, but even this was considered progress to the prince. "Thank you," he murmured before turning and taking a step, weary of the other's presence. He refused to let the boy slip out of his reach. Glancing over his shoulder, he eyed the slightly pale teen (who still held obvious signs of just recently having had a breakdown somewhat hoarse voice, red eyes, and others if one looked closely enough) and could only manage to give an awkward attempt at a reassuring, warm smile when the said teen frowned up at him, stopping just before being at the Althasian's side.

"Would you walk next to me?" he asked, and though he hardly got a reply at all, it was enough of one to tell that Yuugi got the point of his words. "Thank you."

It took little time to travel back to the control room so that he could alert his surpervisors of their intentions. As he took the translator off of his throat, his language once more fell back into that of his usual one, and, behind him (he had fallen back a bit when they had entered -- after all, Yuugi still wasn't exactly Mr. Outgoing) Yuugi looked around, taking in the flashing lights and the soft whirrs of machinery. Set to the side of a chair that had been knocked over for whatever reason and not picked back up, was an odd-looking puzzle of some sort. Having always enjoyed puzzles (at least, he thought it was one), and being curious and refusing to speak, or try to speak, with Yami, he slunk around the people, before kneeling down in front of the strange thing that emitted a dim glow. It looked... like a cylindrical, one-color Rubix Cube attached to a box just barely larger in width with small, handheld game consol-esque buttons around it as well was what appeared to be just a flat screen. Frowning, the human gently reached out, touching the surface of the thing. It did nothing, though Yuugi quickly snuck a look back to make sure no one was watching him. They weren't.

And so, he quietly picked the piece of technology up and, after a moment of hesitation (hey, it might be a bomb, right?) he gave a quick flick of his wrist, turning it. The boxes clicked into place, but nothing else happened. _Was_ this even a puzzle? Brows knitted further, and he moved the sides, re-aligning the blocks in a new manner. The whateveritwas suddenly shifted in color, going from a radioactive light green to a pale lilac. _What the..._

"I'll come back here after we've been to the kitchens. It might be a little longer than intended, depending on whether or not he's hungry," Yami said, speaking to his boss. The old man stared down at him before sighing and nodding.

"Keep a close eye on it, will you? We've already had one go missing thanks to a certain..." But instead of ever finishing his sentence, he only trailed off, having gone from watching the prince to watching the prince's... human. "What is it doing?" Great. Already there was a mess being made, or about to be at any rate. By his standards, however, he felt rather proud of himself for using such a calm tone and demeanor, instead of the irritated, frustrated one he had to push back.

Yami (though annoyed with the fact that the other was calling what was obviously male an 'it') turned, looking in the same direction as his leader, eyes widening slightly. "I have no idea what that is," he finally said as he began walking over towards Yuugi.

"Something Otogi's been working on." And the poor scientist had already been caused enough grief for now, so if that invention got broken...

"Yuugi, do not mess with anything. If you want to know what something is, ask me, alright?" the prince said, his voice a little terse as he had the translator on secure enough to remove his hand from it. Did the boy not understand? He could very well hurt himsel--

But when Yami had set his fingers on the contraption, attempting to bring it from the smaller's grip, he froze, gasping. It felt like his entire body was lit in fire and he began to shake visibly, red orbs narrowed and mouth hanging open. Scalding waves rushed throughout his bones and his tremors grew in intensity. Yuugi had started shouting, fearful and confused, but his alien lookalike could not near a thing. Was he also screaming? He couldn't tell. His throat was numb and it sounded as if he were in a wind tunnel. Then everything stopped, and, as if his limbs were liquified and could not hold weight at all any longer, Yami collapsed to the floor, Otogi's creation rolling out of his grasp and a few inches away across the tile. It beeped twice and then the glow faded, as if the machine had been automatically turned off.

And suddenly -- for the prince, at least -- the world went black.

**.: Chapter end :.**

And yes. That's all I could come up with for a chapter. Dx It would be longer, but... then I wouldn't have a solid area to stop on, and then it would go on forever (which I'm sure you all wouldn't mind, but those kinds of things are a royal pain to type up). So yes. Pretty much a filler chapter leading up to the good stuff.

Oh, and be prepared for a rather unexpected turn of events for Yuugi and Yami. Ahurhurhur. Some of you are probably going to hate me for it, too, but. Rawr. MY STORY. So there.

As I said, the next few chapters will focus on relationships. And other things, but still. Mainly those. xD

-Cecilia


End file.
